The Stefanie Somers studio is hidden away in The Woodlands of Texas. Really, you’d never find us if you didn’t know where to look. We rather like it that way. But we know that’s not why you’re on this page. So on to why you came…
WHO WE ARE
SSC was born in a Ballroom... After quite a few years ON the dance floor, Stefanie turned her attention to providing the sparkle for other dancers. Jewelry for dancers is quite a specific niche, being able to stay put through spins, turns, and all the athletic action you see on Dancing With the Stars. With her background though, she soon had a healthy clientele and a growing business.
CROWNING FLIGHT
Since moving from the ballroom to the runway, SSC has been worn by over a dozen winners in the Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, and Miss America systems. Countless competitors across the USA have made SSC their finishing touch when preparing for their big moment.
Numerous Miss USAs– Alma Cooper, Elle Smith, Cheslie Kryst, Sarah Rose Summers, Kára McCullough, Deshauna Barber, Olivia Jordan, Shandi Finnesey and Rima Fakih – were all crowned in jewels created by SSC.
Morgan Romano and Nana Meriwether, who both succeeded to the Miss USA crown after the reigning queen won Miss Universe. competed in SSC. Nia Sanchez, Asya Branch, Crystle Stewart and Kristen Dalton all wore SSC at various points of competition as well. Some of our beautiful Miss USAs have worn us when they went on to the Miss Universe pageant.
Camille Schrier, Savvy Shields, Teresa Scanlan, Lauren Nelson, Jennifer Berry, Deirdre Downs and countless Miss America competitors have worn us to take their shot at a slice of the famous scholarship program.
Tight integration with wonderful systems like I Am Pageant Powerhouse - National American Miss and International Junior Miss - ensures the next generation of competitors has access to the best SSC has to offer.
Do you direct a pageant and would like to discuss partnering with SSC?
Give us a shout!
WHAT WE DO
Very few designers do exactly quite what we do.
You won’t find us at the mall, or on Amazon, and you’ll only find us at your local boutique if your local boutique is extraordinary.
We aren’t too hung up on market share, or in being a “unicorn”, or a series A investment round.
We’re just passionate artists with a love for color, shimmer, and creativity.
Every piece we make is made completely in our studio outside of Houston, Texas, and designed by us.
We cut and polish the metal, plate each piece here, and set the stones. We do our own photography - even our color charts are shot in-house. The only thing we don’t make here is our packaging - and our Crystal of course.
We work with the finest crystal houses of Europe, but right now we’re now allowed to mention their name. Call us if you want more info on that.
We also don’t carry an inventory of ready-made jewelry , so we can’t pluck your order off a shelf and ship it to you the same day. We’ve all been terribly spoiled by the fast-fashion world of online shopping, and while we’d love to be able to do that, it just doesn’t fit with either our business model or our size.
What we do carry is one of the largest inventories of crystal anywhere, with more breadth and depth than you’re likely to find, with quite a healthy amount of vintage crystal for colors that are so hard to match.
Our magic dust is the ability to match anything thrown at us - and to do it pretty darn fast, even if it’s not overnight.
Know an extraordinary boutique that’s missing some magic?
Hook us up!
DETAILS MATTER
In a world of fast fashion and throwaway accessories...
... we think some things should still be made to last, and if you’re here reading this, there’s a good chance you’re onboard with that idea. That you crave a personal connection with what you wear, and the memories you connect to it.
When a piece leaves the SSC studio, it’s been touched by no less than five pairs of hands, sometimes more. One artist cuts the metal, another solders it, yet another polishes it. Only then does it go onto the amazing artists who set the stones. QC - Quality Control, Photography, Packing… at each step there’s someone who’s checking to make sure all is right. Over a century of combined experience making sure that your jewelry passes the bar. Our bar.
No one else does that, not for “just costume jewelry”.
We know, because our designs are frequently… let’s call it “borrowed”. Those details that matter? They don’t matter to everyone, we’ve seen that with our own eyes.
If technique, finish, artistry, and originality matter to you - you’re in the right place.
Are we more expensive? Yes, yes we are. Our artists deserve to be well paid for their insanely beautiful work, and the best materials do not come easily. Ask our clients that have pieces they purchased a decade or more ago if they’d do it again - or the mom who just watched her daughter compete in the earrings SHE competed in nearly twenty ago.
You can’t put a price tag on that.
image courtesy of HENRI'S
There are certain things we hear over and over and over again at shows, pageants, on the phone and in emails.
Really, it’s a lot of what keeps us going.
“I just got my first pair of Stefanies and I can’t believe how gorgeous they are”
“I always sell my dresses, but I'll never sell my earrings”
“I won’t compete in anything but Stefanie Somers”
“No other jewelry should even be allowed onstage”
…and of course, “Wow, now I understand. These are worth every penny!”
We know we’re not for everyone (we hear that one a lot from Stefanie) and that’s okay.
We’ll be here when you’re ready.