Sophie Buhai

Name: Sophie Buhai
Brand: USA
Availability: OutOfStock

since 2015 : Sculptural Jewelry with an Architectural Soul

After more than a decade co-running the cult womenswear label Vena Cava, Los Angeles–born designer Sophie Buhai launched her eponymous jewelry brand in 2015. Trained at Parsons School of Design, Buhai had already built a strong reputation in the American fashion world, but she wanted to escape the churn of seasonal fashion.

Her vision was to slow down and create pieces that endure beyond trend cycles, feeling like lasting design objects. This shift marked a philosophical pivot from the ephemerality of clothing to the permanence of sculpture.

Design Philosophy & Aesthetic Language

Sophie Buhai’s work is defined by sculptural modernism. Drawing inspiration from mid-century design and the works of Noguchi, Brancusi, Calder, and Barbara Hepworth, she approaches jewelry like miniature architecture. Her pieces emphasise form, contour, and negative space rather than surface ornamentation.

Purity & restraint

Highly polished or satin finishes highlight the metal’s natural beauty without fuss.

Material honesty

She favours dense, weighty materials like sterling silver and 18K gold, often punctuated by large geometric stones — onyx, lapis, jade, carnelian, quartz, pearls — used as solid sculptural forms rather than decorative accents.

Timelessness

Her pieces are conceived as seasonless “uniforms”, quietly dramatic enough for everyday wear, yet enduring enough to become future heirlooms.

Craftsmanship & Production

Every piece is handmade in Los Angeles by master silversmiths and goldsmiths, an approach that preserves local craft traditions and allows tight control over quality. Buhai uses recycled sterling silver and 18K gold, sources stones through trusted suppliers, and packages her work with minimal, low-waste materials.

She operates on a slow production model: many designs are made-to-order to avoid overproduction, reinforcing the brand’s positioning as “slow luxury”, the antithesis of fast fashion.

Collections & Materials

Core Sterling Silver Line

The foundation of the brand. Known for clean, sculptural signatures like the Bold Cuff, Egg Pendant, and Large Baroque Pearl Drop Earrings.

Fine Jewelry Line (18K Gold)

Introduced in 2021, this line elevates her signature silhouettes with solid gold, featuring precious stones and pearls.

Objects & Accessories

A poetic extension of her language into functional design. Combs, candleholders, and tabletop objects, blurring the line between jewelry, art, and homeware.

Her signature materials include recycled sterling silver, recycled 18K gold, and semi-precious stones (onyx, jade, lapis, carnelian, rose quartz, and pearls), often cut into large cabochons or spheres, as well as occasional wood, lacquer, or horn, in limited editions.