Vanessa Stofenmacher, who cofounded the e-tail site Vrai, is starting a new direct-to-consumer brand, Silent Opus, which will sell customizable jewelry to mark personal milestones.
“I was planning to take a break from jewelry,” says Stofenmacher. “But the reason why I love jewelry is because it holds so much meaning.”
Her new site, scheduled to launch this spring, “was inspired by the ring that me and each of my sisters received from my mother,” she says. “It symbolizes so much. I wanted to continue this tradition. It’s about creating a customizable experience, and about creating this whole feeling about a product.
“Obviously, Pandora is doing good personalized jewelry, but it doesn’t fit in with my aesthetic,” she says. “This is a more modern take.”
The e-tailer will sell rings, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings and will allow customers to select their own gemstones. While Vrai specialized in lab-grown diamonds, Silent Opus will use natural diamonds as well as alternative gemstones like honey opal and aquamarine.
“We hope to open up the market to different types of gemstones that aren’t just used that much,” says Stofenmacher, “rather than just diamonds.”
While Vrai began by offering products with an average $200 price point, those in Stofenmacher’s new venture will start at $500 and average about $700.
The idea is to create pieces that “evolve and live with you and change with you,” she says. “We want to tell important stories with jewelry. There are many other important life moments that we don’t celebrate through jewelry that are equally as important as those we currently signify.”
The site will target both gifters and female self-purchasers. It will eventually go into bridal, but in “a more story-driven way, in an everyday meaningful way,” she says.
The company will be based out of Los Angeles but will partner with a New York City–based company that will handle the operational aspects.
“We don’t need outside investment, and because of that, we don’t have the pressure to grow overnight unrealistically,” Stofenmacher says.
Joining her in her new venture are several Vrai veterans: Emma Rose Peters, who will serve as brand content manager; Erica Lustbader, who will serve as e-commerce manager; Kate Skolas, its senior graphic designer; and Alla Ossipova, its production manager.
Stofenmacher cofounded Vrai—initially known as Vrai & Oro—with Chelsea Nicholson in 2014. In 2016, the e-tailer was purchased by Diamond Foundry. Stofenmacher left the brand in 2020.
Top: Vrai cofounder Vanessa Stofenmacher (photo: Nicole Spencer/courtesy of Silent Opus)
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