Jewelry Design

As Larissa Dahroug strolls along the California seashore with her husband, Omar, she frequently pauses to sketch unique plants, shells and wildlife. What she does with these drawings is truly remarkable - she transforms them into wearable works of art.

Inside Studio 19, Dahroug's private studio in Sunnyvale, California, the metalsmith designs jewelry and handbags under the name Larissa Louise Designs, LLC. Her works include a bridal line called Hand-Made-N, a line of men's jewelry called OD and a line of children's jewelry, Rissa Lou.

"My collection is different from most of the jewelry in the market today," said Dahroug. "Instead of thinking about making a necklace, I look at each piece as a composition. The overall aesthetic of the finished piece is as important as its utilitarian purpose."

Dahroug's original approach to jewelry making stems from her experiences in high school and at CCS, where she was originally a painting major.

"At the time, I thought that you had to be a painter to become an artist," explained Dahroug. "After a year studying painting, one of my professors, Gilda Snowden, suggested I would be happier as a crafts major. She was right. My true passion was metals."