Feminine Simplicity: Tastemaker Maral Artinian

WHO: Maral Artinian, founder of Marli, New York-based fine jewelry

GENETIC TALENT: Born into a family of talented designers who founded Sartoro, a high-end jeweler in Europe

SIGNATURE STYLE: Modern, minimalist jewelry featuring innovative designs of graphic lines, geometric shapes, and cutouts

SPECIALIZES IN: 18 karat gold and diamonds, with each piece available in white, yellow, or rose gold

UPCOMING APPEARANCE: October 19-20, 2015 at Saks Fifth Avenue, Naples

NI: How did growing up in a family of jewelers influence you?

Artinian: All of the information I gained from my years of being in the jewelry business, having fellow jewelers as friends, and traveling around the world inspired me to come up with Marli as a modern fashion design. My family was more into the classic jewelry. I studied the evolution of fashion because I wanted to create something classic and timeless that you buy and wear now, but can also wear again in the future.

“Fashion is not just about your clothing, but your entire look. If you have beautiful hands and nails and your hair is done, your jewelry can help accent that natural beauty, even if you’re dressed casually.”

Where do you find inspiration?

What inspires me and my jewelry is everything around me: artifacts, country, urban life, and fashion. For example, you see the evolution of shoes: at first, they were created just to walk in, and now you see them for all kinds of different things, with thin heels, thick heels, high heels, and for me, that was a big inspiration.

What sets Marli apart from other jewelry brands?

It’s designed to layer and give you a lot of options, whether you want to layer the pieces with other Marli pieces or jewelry from other brands.

What is your connection with Naples?

I first came to Naples in April and fell in love with it. The city is clean, modern, and refreshing, which is inspiring because everything refreshing creates new energy in you. Living in the big city of New York, you need to go and get a fresh outlook on the world, which is why I love Naples and am looking forward to visiting Saks later this month.

Pyramid Asymmetrical Earrings in white gold and diamonds (above); Avenues statement ring in yellow gold and diamonds.

What’s next?

We launched our collection for the fall/winter 2015, with seven new design sets, and each one is inspired by a story. When you launch a collection, there’s always one design set you fall in love with the most, and for me, the one called “Chelsea” is one I really love. The pieces are all dainty and have micro designs, so you can wear them as everyday pieces or to a gala.

Do you have a favorite or signature piece from your collections?

I have two rings that are really my favorites—a Pixi Pyramid ring in rose gold and a yellow gold Dahlia ring. The Pyramid ring is on my finger all the time, and I love it because it looks very simple in the showcase, but as soon as you put it on, it just elevates it to another level.