Lupita’s Oscar look inspires fine jewelry collection

Think the super-luxe jewelry creations worn on the Oscars red carpet don’t matter on the retail level? Think again.

The Fred Leighton spiky crescent earrings that supporting-actress winner Lupita Nyong’o wore with her blue Prada gown created such a flurry of interest among would-be shoppers that the jewelry house was inspired to design an entire Crescent capsule collection.

It just goes to show that whatever Nyong’o wears really does turn to gold, or in this case, gold and diamonds.

“[Lupita] looked so gorgeous, she wore the earrings so beautifully, and it was her night,” Greg Kwiat, chief executive of Fred Leighton, said at the Couture Jewelry Show last week in Las Vegas, where the collection made its debut. “And from a jewelry design perspective, the earrings were so of-the-moment. The rose cut diamonds and yellow gold had a vintage feel, but having the rose cuts pointing outward gave it a slight edge, but in a glamorous way.”

Fred Leighton’s creative director Rebecca Selva uses the red carpet as an inspirational laboratory for design, Kwiat explained.

“Often, we’re asked to make things that are creative for the time, like styling an old piece in a new way,” she said.

For the 2013 Oscars, Selva turned a pair of Art Deco dress clips into dangling earrings worn by Jennifer Aniston.

“We wanted to preserve the originality of the clip, but we built an earring around it so the piece can be worn as a clip or a long earring,” Kwiat said.

While Fred Leighton has made direct sales of actual pieces worn on the red carpet before, this is the first time the house has created a capsule collection inspired by a red carpet look. The house decided to roll out the collection after receiving tons of calls inquiring about Nyong’o’s earrings. (Originally an antique and estate jewelry dealer, Fred Leighton also began designing its own vintage-inspired jewels in 2012.)

Nyong’o and her stylist Micaela Erlanger came to the jeweler with ideas.

“They had chosen the dress and wanted to go in a yellow gold direction. They wanted earrings that were flattering and subtle, but also modern,” Kwiat said. “Rebecca suggested the rose cut diamonds. And the result was stunning. The jewelry didn’t ever look bigger than her.” (Nyong’o also wore a Fred Leighton headband, rings and a snake bracelet.)

The Crescent Collection includes six pieces, ranging from small $9,300 stud earrings to $29,000 hoop earrings. It will be in stores in late August. Available at Fred Leighton, (212) 288-1872.