When spring finally appeared this year, Sandy Leong started daydreaming about flowers and childhood crushes. “I was thinking back to when I was younger and plucking daisies or any flowers on my way to school,” she says. “It was such a sweet, innocent time. I remember plucking each petal and saying, ‘He loves me, he loves me not.’” And just like that, an idea for a new collection was born.

“I really wanted to inspire that butterflies-in-your-stomach feeling when you had your first crush,” she says. “Mine was David Cassidy, and the idea of a crush still brings a smile to my face. I want people to have that feeling when they see this collection. It should invoke love, innocence, and a sense of possibility. I mean, I really could have been David Cassidy’s girlfriend!”

Leong debuted her 18k gold and diamond Bloom collection at this year’s Couture show in Las Vegas, where a Seattle-based retailer bought it. “They really liked the idea of the single petals that you could add to a chain,” notes Leong. Some 21 SKUs currently exist but another 10 are in the works. Retail prices range from $450 for a single petal necklace to $4,000 for the 18k gold and sterling silver headband with diamonds.

Loves Me ring in 18k yellow gold with one detached petal with diamonds, $2,100

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JCK