The jewelry industry is rife with sister acts—brands, such as Lionheart and Sorellina, run by siblings—but we weren’t aware of any aunt-niece pairings until we met Beth and Sammi Yorn, the cofounders of Ophelia Eve, in Las Vegas.
Sammi, based in New York City, is a 26-year-old Tulane graduate. She moved to the Big Apple in 2022 and promptly began working at Vogue. “I was on the jewelry team,” she tells JCK. “It was kind of like boot camp.”
Her aunt, Beth, based in L.A., is married to the musician Pete Yorn, Sammi’s uncle on her father’s side. In 2009, Beth founded her own fine jewelry brand, Elisabeth Bell Jewelry, known for designs that pay homage to nature and wildlife.
A few years ago, the women realized they had a shared fascination with the Victorian era and codesigned a slider necklace inspired by the period that forms the base of their 2-year-old brand, which they introduced in October 2024 with a collection of 45 pieces.
“Beth and I have always connected so much and we thought it would be fun to team up,” Sammi says.
At the Couture show in June, the duo introduced their second collection, composed of three capsules, all made in 18k gold: the Relic line of lockets and Victorian-inspired pendants; a range of pieces made with bog oak, an ancient fossilized wood popularized in Victorian mourning jewelry; and the Astral line of gem-set gold designs featuring a starburst motif (“We love the Victorian fascination with the cosmos,” Sammi says).
Below, Sammi explains the significance of the name Ophelia Eve, why Victorian style is so appealing, and how she and Beth meld their talents.
On the name
“We liked the idea of having a name that’s almost fictional. The collection isn’t me or Beth; it’s this fun fictional character, kind of like our avatar. We were thinking of names that would evoke the moody ethereal sister of Elisabeth Bell. Ophelia is a name from literature and Eve is a family name, and has a double meaning—evening.”
On the Victorian inspiration
“We were both really captured by that era. It was always a goal to infuse it into the collection from the beginning. And always a goal to use gemstones and materials that had significance in that era.
“During the pandemic, you heard about trends like ‘cottage core.’ People were drawn to romantic things of the past that were sentimental and beautiful. I, personally, have always been drawn to what feels romantic and feminine. The question was, how can we take that and bring it into 2026? I want it to feel aspirational for my peers; they’re not buying it, but I’d love them to appreciate it and find the beauty in it.”
On being codesigners
“I loved the social media, marketing, and storytelling perspective. I never thought I’d be designing. But after I left Condé Nast, I briefly worked for a designer and had so much fun designing alongside her, and learning about CAD [computer-aided design]. When Beth and I designed our slider necklace, the first piece we did together, we realized it was a great way to combine our talents.
Beth’s got almost 15 years of amazing production experience—she’s GIA-certified and so well-versed in stones—and me, I’m more on the Gen Z side, more familiar with social media and branding and figuring out how that can work. It’s been so fun combining those perspectives. We really do design 50-50—it’s so organic. We both love art history and found artifacts. We just did this collection featuring a lot of bog oak. Beth had been a collector of it and knew its properties. I dove into the history behind it.”
On the retail price range
We start around $2,900 and go up to about $30,000, though a few custom pieces have exceeded that amount. Last year, the core was in the $5,000 to $8,000 range. But this year, with gold going up, we noticed our customer is drawn to the larger, more storytelling moments. We’re finding if they’re drawn to a piece, they’re really going for it. People really love the scroll and the sliders and those are substantial pieces.”
On the collection’s signature styles
“The Letter Opener pendant and fobs are obviously a nod to letter-writing and that sentiment. We also use lapis and bloodstone in the Lapis Seal pendant and the Bloodstone Keeper pendant.
“Another one is the Tourmaline Timekeeper locket, based off a 19th-century pocket watch. It opens like a locket. I love the Bog Oak Mega Eye necklace, probably my favorite of the new pieces. The black and blue are really nice together. The double-hinged Undine locket—you can put a little photograph in it. We’d seen it in estate jewelry from the 19th century. At that price point, people are drawn to things that feel personal and interactive.”
Top: Bog Oak Mega Eye necklace in 18k yellow gold with bog oak and 12.3 ct. tourmaline, $11,350; Ophelia Eve
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