ABOUT

turquoise and tobacco logo

TURQUOISE + TOBACCO

Turquoise and Tobacco Jewelry is handmade from carefully hand-sourced natural gemstones and precious metals.  I believe in using the finest materials that will stand the test of time and become cherished future heirlooms.
Inspired by my love of travel, the American Southwest, road trips, surf trips, and an open minded free spirit.
Crafted by hand in Los Angeles, California

 

laura genevieve designer of turquoise and tobacco

THE DESIGNER

As long as I can remember, I've been obsessed with fashion.  Like most girls, I was always cutting up my clothes and sewing them into something else, and my walls were covered with editorial images from Vogue & Elle.  Growing up in Kansas though, and before the internet really existed, I didn't know you could actually turn that into a career.  I moved to Seattle at the age of 20 because it was the quickest way to get me out of the mid-west and closer to California, and I  learned there was a design school there. However, when I arrived and realized it was  $70,000 and I didn't have any financial help, I got a job instead.  I worked for probably the coolest boutique in the city and quickly became the Assistant Buyer.  I hated Seattle (primarily because of the rain), but I loved my job.  Every few months we would travel to New York and LA on buying trips, and those trips would make the rainy days a little more tolerable.  Nine years later, I'd had enough rain and longed for sunshine, so I packed up a U-Haul, my chihuahua,  and landed in Venice, CA.   I got a job working for a brand in their flagship shop on Abbot Kinney.  Shortly after, I transitioned into wholesale, becoming a sales rep for the company.  This was way more my speed because I wasn't stuck in a store all day, or at a desk.  I got to travel all the time and go on the road.  But after four years of schlepping and not really being allowed to contribute creatively, I was burned out and needed to use my hands and create something of my own.  I'd seen all sides of the business by that point and saw what I wanted and didn't want, and I finally had the confidence to go out on my own.  I started making leather necklaces, The Coyote and The Drifter.  I would make them after work and on weekends in my living room, and I'd wear them everywhere I went.  Buyers started asking to placing orders, and when I couldn't keep up fulfillment on nights and weekends, I knew it was time to quit. In January 2015, I officially started Turquoise + Tobacco.  We now live in Long Beach, California in our first house that I dubbed the Blanco Bungalow.  My fiancé Strader, our son, Coyote and our two pups, Gypsy and Rogue.
I hope you love what I create, 
With Gratitude, 
Laura