Chappaqua Resident Laurie Berg’s Buddah Jewelry

For handcrafted pieces with lots of positive karma, we’re loving the Asian-inspired, perfect-for-laidback-summer-dressing designs by Chappaqua resident Laurie Berg. After a stint in the mortgage lending industry, the self-taught jewelry designer switched gears into a much, shall we say, less fraught industry. “An inspirational or good-luck theme runs through my work,” Berg declares. “It can’t hurt to wear something beautiful to look at that could also bring you good luck.” Her Buddah necklaces feature pendants in materials such as jade, wood, glass, and brass, on knotted leather, sterling silver, gold vermeil, and stretch cords ($35-$190), often accented with gemstones.

Also very popular: Berg’s agate-bead stackable bracelets on stretch cords in a huge array of colors ($18-$32). “People buy them to wear three at a time, mixing and matching colors to express their own aesthetic,” she says. Laurie Berg Designs are available locally at Aurora in Chappaqua, Ebba in Katonah, and L3 Couture in Briarcliff Manor. Custom designs are available; contact Berg at (914) 629-2977.

Photo by H&H Photographers