Q&A: Casey Perez on How She Created the Golden Loma Pendant

By Karen Dybis | April 16, 2026

You never know where inspiration for a piece of jewelry may strike—maybe in the form of a fluted teapot or a vintage scalloped lampshade.

Something about those objects, with their soft curves, made Casey Perez think about what her next jewelry design would look like. She calls that piece, now available, the Loma pendant.

Perez has also been inspired by photographer Karl Blossfeldt’s botanical studies, which reveal the hidden structure of plants with a wonderful clarity, she says. Under Blossfeldt’s expertise with a camera, a flower’s structure feels sculptural and intentional. Curves aren’t small; they’re voluminous.

Perez says she hopes the Loma pendant feels the same way. It is soft yet structural. It is easy to wear. Its silhouette is repetitive and comforting for its owner. The Brooklyn-based designer spoke with JCK about her creative process for this piece and others, her love of gold, and her custom work in engagement rings.

Introduce us to Blossfeldt. How did you discover him? What does he mean to you in terms of your art?

I first came across Karl Blossfeldt while studying art history. The way his photographs reveal the architectural beauty of plants so clearly really stayed with me. They remind me how much rhythm, repetition, and sculptural presence already exist in the natural world, and that way of seeing has been very meaningful to me, I’ve always been someone who looks very closely at the details of things, and that attention to pattern and form is something I carry into my own work.

Why did you choose Loma as the pendant name?

The name comes from the Spanish word for hill or slope. I liked the softness of the word, and the way it subtly suggests contour, rise, and gentle movement. It felt right for a piece shaped by soft fluting and rounded volume.

Gold and natural diamonds have both been going through ups and downs of late. Why do you prefer to work with these materials?

Gold and natural diamonds both carry a depth, permanence, and history that feels meaningful to me. Gold has an incredible warmth and lineage to it. It has been worked, worn, and valued across centuries, and I’m very drawn to that sense of continuity. What draws me to natural diamonds is that they were formed over spans of time far beyond our own. That long formation process gives them a kind of mystique and gravity that I find very compelling. They connect jewelry to the earth in a way that feels larger than adornment alone, and to something far older and more mysterious than we are.

How does Loma fit into your larger body of work?

I’m often interested in translating ideas from architecture, objects, and natural forms into jewelry that feels personal and lived with, and the Loma pendant is very much part of that. In this piece, that shows up through the contoured surface, the repeated pattern, and the balance between softness and structure. It has a sculptural presence, but it is still meant to feel easy on the body. That balance is something I return to again and again in my work.

What else from your brand should we highlight?

One newer piece that may be of interest is a custom engagement ring I recently completed featuring a very unique fancy white diamond with a frosted, almost opalescent look. What interested me about that project was how much it speaks to a growing interest toward diamonds with more individuality and character, stones that feel distinct from the traditional idea of a perfectly white, pristine diamond. I’ve noticed more appreciation for diamonds with personality, whether that’s antique cuts, desert diamonds, or less conventional shapes.

Top: Casey Perez’s 14k gold Loma pendant is priced at $2,540; chain sold separately. (Photo courtesy of Casey Perez)