Courtesy Lorraine Schwartz; Paul Morigi
We’ve long admired Lorraine Schwartz’s beautiful jewelry, spotted on stars including Beyoncé, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus. But the pieces these four celebs most recently sported have us dazzled for reasons beyond carats: Schwartz created them with help from pediatric patients at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
To honor her late mother, who died of lung cancer, Schwartz partnered with Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation to teach the patients, ages six to 15, how to create jewelry. They then designed pieces inspired by their favorite celebrities as a form of art therapy.
“One of the most memorable times for our family was when my mother made jewelry during her treatments,” Schwartz says. “It was so therapeutic for all of us. We still have those pieces and cherish them.”
And Schwartz had a big surprise in store for her students: Their creations would actually be worn by the A-list star for whom they had designed their jewelry.
Beyoncé (above) posed in the bright, flower-inspired gems created for her by Jozlyn, 12, which prominently feature the color blue for Beyoncé’s daughter Blue Ivy. “There was a lot of thought put into that,” Schwartz tells PEOPLE. “Beyoncé couldn’t have been more touched.” She adds that Jozlyn is “obsessed” with the superstar, saying “She’s the biggest star in the world to her … and [Jozlyn] was beyond excited to find out she wore her jewelry.”
Read more about the children who created jewels for Swift, Perry and Cyrus, as well as how to be a part of Schwartz’s inspiring initiative, below:
Paul Morigi; Inset: Jeff Vespa/WireImage
The champagne diamond-and-amethyst bracelet Taylor Swift wore to the Grammys was created by Jaimin, a young patient who already had a passion for jewelry design. “Jaimin started making jewelry before he got sick,” Schwartz tells PEOPLE. “He came prepared with all the jewelry making tools.” And he was especially excited to design for Swift, whom his mom says he listens to constantly. “He wanted diamonds to sparkle because Taylor sparkles,” Schwartz says of Jaimin’s inspiration — and shares that haute N.Y.C. department store Bergdorf Goodman is already requesting “the Jaimin bracelets,” not realizing that he’s just a kid!
Paul Morigi; Inset: Jeff Vespa/WireImage
Eight-year-old Arabelle, who just finished her cancer treatment, designed a flower ring for Katy Perry, which the star wore to a Grammys afterparty. “[Arabelle] made a flower and a butterfly, because she thinks of [Perry] that way,” Schwartz says, adding that Perry’s song “Firework” has a special meaning to the young patient: “She performed [the song] after she finished chemo.”
Paul Morigi; Splash News Online
In honor of her sister who passed away last year from liver cancer, Sammi created a bracelet and earrings set for Miley Cyrus comprised of black spinel and green garnet. “Miley wore [the bracelet] at Clive [Davis]‘s party and she was beyond,” Schwartz says. The matching earrings are already on sale at Charity Buzz, and 100% of the proceeds will fund a grant to provide jewelry and art therapy programs at Children’s National Medical Center. For more information about Schwartz’s project, visit the Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation website.
Tell us: What do you think of Schwartz’s project?
–Alex Apatoff and Jennifer Cress, reporting by Carlos Greer
