The M boutique in Sunset Plaza is...

The M boutique in Sunset Plaza is proof that jewelry and electric gates need not go together. The jewelry here is mostly sterling silver, gold plated or acrylic and falls into the category of artist-designed.

Owner Michael Dawkins--who used his first initial to name the shop--says the concept is “just to show finely crafted jewelry, not production pieces. We don’t want to cater to the masses.”

The 4-month-old store has rotating exhibits, similar to an art gallery, with a different artist featured every month. The regular artists are represented on the first floor. They include the dramatically bold work of Robert Lee Morris, who designs jewelry for Donna Karan’s collections. “It’s definitely not for people who like small, fine pieces,” Dawkins says.

Other regulars include London designers John Wind and Hilary Jay, who use watch parts as design elements, and Los Angeles designer Kathryn Post, who works extensively with cubic zirconia.

Dawkins, an interior designer, feels as passionate about the look of the store as he does about what goes inside its cases. The feeling is stark, ivory and neoclassical. The front window holds a statue that is often mistaken for a copy of Michelangelo’s David.

“It’s no one,” Dawkins assures.