A golden Chai melded onto a heart charm, encircled by pearls. A Star of David engraved onto a radiant gold disk. A heart charm opening into a flower, opening into a medallion, opening into a Star of David with the word “Zion” written in Hebrew in the center. Compared to the ubiquitous, mass-made plain Star of David, these unique vintage pieces seem fantastical, straight from a Jewish jewelry wonderland.
And in a sense they are. That wonderland just happens to be the very real Yeah It’s Jewelry, an LA-based fine jewelry company started by 25-year-old Jewish business-owner Chloe Weitman.
Chloe has always loved jewelry, she tells me, but that love deepened back in high school. At the time, she drew inspiration from antique jewelry business Erica Weiner, reading their numerous listings of historical gems and high quality crafted pieces complete with histories and material descriptions. Chloe carried this fascination with her to college at the University of Southern California where she studied art history. Towards the end of her program, there was an emphasis on jewelry and Chloe began to piece together that she wanted her career to be in a field related to decorative arts. That, in combination with Chloe’s appreciation for the material value of and financial investment in gold, is how Yeah It’s Jewelry was born.
Now, nearly four years later, Chloe says that business is good. Instead of selling to just friends and family on Instagram, the Yeah It’s Jewelry Instagram page has nearly 67K followers. The operation has expanded to include a full-time employee, other than Chloe herself, and a slew of freelancers. In addition to selling curated vintage pieces, the business also features custom gold pieces like nameplates and made-to-order charms like one that reads “Jewish Princess,” which are designed by Chloe. Not all of the vintage and custom pieces for sale on Yeah It’s Jewelry are Jewish, however. The shop also offers secular, but equally unique, gold pieces like puffy heart charms, chains and vintage rings. And notable stylemakers are starting to take notice. Addison Rae, Maddie Ziegler and even Sabrina Carpenter are included among Chloe’s clientele.
Chloe sat down with Hey Alma last month to talk about how she sources vintage Jewish charms and being inspired by Jewish grandma aesthetic, and offer tips on how to go on your own jewelry treasure hunt.
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
Do you remember what your first big jewelry gift was, or the first piece you bought for yourself?
When I first started selling, I bought this 24 karat gold chain that said “happy” all around. I was really like, “Oh my God, is this too expensive?” I found it while sourcing in Los Angeles, and for months was going back and forth. And then I was like, “I’m going to get it.” I was going through my jewelry box the other day, and I weighed it. I calculated its original price versus the new price of gold, with the like 20 percent rise, and I was like, “Oh, I’ve actually made a return on this investment.”
Could you tell me about how you started Yeah It’s Jewelry?
It was kind of a COVID project. I was finishing my last year at USC. I was studying art history, getting ready to enter the job market and there was so much instability. I was like, I love jewelry. I’ve always loved jewelry, and I already had a good network of jewelers [in downtown LA] that I had met through shopping for myself — well, more so just browsing and trying to learn as much as I could. So I took out $500 and I was like, I’ll buy as many charms as I can with this initial investment and just see how it does. At first, my target customers were friends and family. And there’s also a really tight-knit jewelry community already on Instagram. So I was selling in January 2021 to a smaller group. But the drops started selling out, and more people have started realizing the value of solid gold as well. It was kind of the perfect storm. I’ve been growing the business now for almost four years, which is really crazy to think about. But it’s been amazing. It’s cool to meet customers and get people excited about solid gold.
There are a lot of Jews in the decorative arts, from jewelry-making to the diamond industry. Was your family already working in jewelry? Is that something you came into on your own?
It’s funny because a lot of my vendors are Jewish and share that background with me, but my family’s actually in the garment industry, another historically Jewish industry. I have no familial connections to the jewelry industry, but it has been cool to connect with an older generation of Jewish vendors. I think they get excited when they see a young woman who’s interested in this kind of dying art. If you go down to the Jewelry District, at least in LA, it feels like a lot of that older generation is phasing out. Through conversations, I’ve heard a lot of them are getting ready to retire, but their kids don’t necessarily want to take over the business. So it has been a cool, personally and culturally fulfilling moment to connect with these vendors and support them.
Why is including Judaica and other religious charms in your collections important to you?
With my art history background, I really have a love for all different types of religious iconography. Since the beginning, I’ve curated religious vintage capsule collections. I’ll go to shows in Miami or Vegas or big jewelry trade shows, the New York diamond district, all over, just to source unique religious jewelry and then compile them into a collection. When I’m out sourcing, the majority of pieces I see are Christian pieces, a lot of gorgeous crosses and saints. I just thought it would be important for Jewish customers to have that similar experience of variety when they’re shopping. You see a lot of plain Stars of David, plain Chais, but I’m looking for more unusual stuff, especially jewelry that has engraving or features that set it apart from just a standard Star of David.
What makes a charm stand out to you and be like, this is something I should buy for the business?
There are a few examples. I had this medallion that was pretty big and it said “Ima,” meaning mother in Hebrew. You see a lot of Stars of David, but I had never seen something like that before. It was engraved on the back from a New York chapter of — I think — the Jewish Women’s Club. I believe it was the ‘60s or ‘70s. I was like, “Oh, this is really special.” And when I posted it, I immediately got so much feedback from all of the Jewish mothers that follow me. They were like, “I want this! I want this!” It was, honestly, a very hard piece to get because everything goes up on the site, and when it’s vintage, there’s just one of each item. So I disappointed some Jewish mothers, unfortunately. But it’s pieces like that that I find special, and it’s very gratifying when I put them up.
On a bit more of a serious tone. I did find this one piece that I thought was unusual. It was a double sided medallion, and on one side it had — I forget if it was a cross or a saint. I think it was a saint. But on the reverse was a Star of David. It made me curious. Was this like a custom-made piece that someone got, maybe because they were both religions? Or maybe did they want to conceal their Jewish faith and have a Christian symbol showing outward? I thought that was interesting. With vintage pieces, you can never know the story unless you’re buying it from the original buyer. But I thought it was so unusual and kind of like a little piece of history.
I love that.
And it’s interesting to think how the piece even came to sale. For me to purchase it, it probably was scrapped or maybe passed down from an estate. For me, it feels really special — instead of letting these pieces get melted down or who knows where they’d go, I get to hold on to them and save a part of someone’s story. Pieces can be so personal, especially when it’s engraved. It’s like holding on to that person in a way.
I have my own little collection of extra special Judaica I find when I’m sourcing that I can’t say goodbye to. I have this big Chai and it has all these radiant discs, which I love. I like stuff that’s more ‘70s style and funky. When I find Judaica that fits in that category, I keep it for myself.
Vintage charms, nameplates and bigger, chunkier charms are trendy right now. Do you have an idea of why those styles are more popular right now?
I can’t say for sure, but at least when I put on chunkier Judaica and a lot of gold chains, I’m emulating the idea of that fabulous lady you might see in temple with all the gold and fabulous jewels and are like, “Whoa. Who is she?” So I do think people are into that vintage grandma aesthetic a bit. They’re like, picturing their own family members or that kind of, like Jewish culture of wearing charms.
That’s really cool. Growing up, I didn’t know a ton about jewelry, and at least when I was growing up in the mid-2000s, places like Claire’s were so popular but the jewelry was all plastic and nickel and, at least for me, not good for my skin. Now as an adult, I feel more drawn to pieces that I know are coming from small businesses and artisans, because I want to know where my jewelry is coming from.
I follow so many small businesses on Instagram that sell jewelry like I do, and it’s really satisfying to see exactly where your money’s going and who you’re supporting versus giving money to an entity. There are so many LA-based small businesses I love supporting because I can see like, Oh, now they can get an office, now they have employees.
What are some of those businesses?
There are a few I really like. Shop Auroro is one. I don’t have a piece from them yet, but they make these gorgeous, huge rings that are like your full knuckle and there’s usually a natural gemstone. They make everything in LA and source really interesting stones. There’s another brand, Starling. They do bespoke rings with gemstones.
I saw that Sabrina Carpenter recently wore one of your charms. Who are your other dream collabs?
Now we’re manifesting… Oh, my God, that’s tough. Oh my gosh. Let me, let me circle back. I have to think.
What are your goals for Yeah It’s Jewelry?
I’m just thinking about the holiday season right now. But beyond that, I really want to start offering more collaborations and new designs as well. I’ve got a good curation of vintage stuff, which feels very steady and the custom stuff is good. But continuing to grow our in-house line is a priority right now. I really like mixing new, up-and-coming jewelry making techniques with older, more traditional techniques, and that’s important to me to continue in the business. For example, all the nameplates are hand cut, instead of laser cut. I’m also launching an engraving line for pet charms. It’s very silly. I like keeping things fun and silly over here. But it’s this vintage engraving machine called a pantograph engraver, so you trace the brass plates, and then a little tiny diamond tip engraves the pendant.
Also, I always try to do a pop-up a few times a year. For 2025 I’d love to do more in-person events, because it’s really great to see people wear their jewelry in person and let people try stuff on as well in person. It’s fun.
Any upcoming drops in the works?
I’m putting out a solid gold bookmark soon. It’s an unusual product, but I thought it would be a fun trinket for avid readers or maybe to give as a gift.
I love items like that, that are kind of in the realm of like jewelry, but are slightly unusual.
For sure. It’s very luxurious to be like, “Oh, I have this little solid gold object.” It feels very much like 18th-century little trinkets that people would have.
You’ve mentioned a few jewelry fairs and expos that you’ve gone to. Is that where you mainly source vintage pieces from?
Yeah, there are a few ones that happen annually that I make a point to go to. Every year in May there’s a Vegas antique show that goes on. It actually coincides with a bunch of other jewelry industry events so all of Vegas kind of turns into this jewelry center for a week. In January, there’s an antique show in Miami Beach and it’s really special because people will come in from all over the country and international sellers will join as well. It’s all under one roof: really interesting jewelry, charms and chains, but there are also things on that super high end scale, like crowns and tiaras, matching bracelets and necklaces. It’s a treat to walk around and see what you see.
Miami Beach seems like the peak place to get inspiration from Jewish grandmothers.
Exactly, and the New York diamond district, too. Whenever I go, I always leave inspired by the style I see from other vendors. But that’s probably the number one spot where I go to source Judaica, because I have a lot of Jewish vendors there that will not scrap anything that has Jewish iconography on it. So if they’re processing and intaking all of this scrap metal and gold, they’ll always put it aside into a separate bin and they won’t melt it down. So they have this large selection to choose from, and that’s how I get a lot of those really special engraved pieces.
Is that common practice?
I think if you’re religious, yes, for respect and holding on to the tradition as well.
What tips do you have for people who are interested in jewelry hunting for themselves?
Make sure to learn the basics of gold, like what is 14 carat versus 18 carat? Things like that, just so you’re more educated when you’re out buying. Because I’ll be honest, as a younger woman, especially when I was starting out in the industry, I learned that if you go in with a more bubbly demeanor, you’re not going to get a good deal. You have to know your stuff and keep your cool. And know how to be a good negotiator. Center yourself and know the worth of the gold at least as a starting point. You want to balance being knowledgeable and being respectful.
But yeah, brush up on your Gold 101. I have a story highlight on Instagram called Gold 101, which I always point people to as a resource and then you can go out there. It really is a treasure hunt, basically. So you also have to be creative about where you go. Check out estate sales, pawn shops, antique malls, things like that. I’ve probably passed on 10s of 1000s of charms and sorted through so many things just to find the few that I do take to this shop. So you have to have some level of discernment when shopping, too.
OK, circling back, what celeb collaborations are dreams for you?
Oh, my gosh, I don’t know. Sabrina Carpenter was pretty exciting because I love her music and her style so much. I just always just like working with people who want to work with me and see the vision and get it right away. The page has naturally attracted a lot of different influencers and celebrities. I just want to continue working with people that are as excited about the jewelry as I am.
