Lorraine Schwartz is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 jeweler who has gained fame as a designer of jewelery for Hollywood movie stars and other well-known public figures.

Background

Lorraine E. Schwartz Inc. is based in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

. The jewelry business has been a part of Schwartz's family for three generations, run mostly as a small business. Schwartz took over the family business in 1989, after her mother died from cancer at age 55. She renamed the company Lorraine Schwartz Diamonds & Fine Jewelry. She also remade the company business model so that her works are sold only at Bergdorf Goodman

Bergdorf Goodman

Bergdorf Goodman is a luxury goods department store based on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The company was founded in 1899 by Herman Bergdorf and was later owned and managed by Edwin Goodman, and later his son Andrew Goodman....

 in New York City, by appointment at her 5th Avenue showroom in Manhattan and by private commission.

Rise to prominence

Schwartz states that her rise to fame as a jewelry designer for top stars came about "in 2002 when Halle Berry chose to wear my jewelery on the red carpet." She was referring to the 2002 Screen Actors Guild Awards

2002 Screen Actors Guild Awards

-Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role:*Adrien Brody - The Pianist as Władysław Szpilman*Nicolas Cage - Adaptation. as Charlie Kaufman/Donald Kaufman*Daniel Day-Lewis - Gangs of New York as Bill "The Butcher" Cutting...

. Since, she has designed for celebrities such as Beyoncé Knowles

Beyoncé Knowles

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...

, Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...

 and Cate Blanchett

Cate Blanchett

Catherine Élise "Cate" Blanchett is an Australian actress. She came to international attention for her role as Elizabeth I of England in the 1998 biopic film Elizabeth, for which she won British Academy of Film and Television Arts and Golden Globe Awards, and earned her first Academy Award...

, all of whom have worn pieces designed by Schwartz and have been seen wearing her pieces to numerous awards shows, such as the 2007 MTV VMA Awards

2007 MTV Video Music Awards

The 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, honoring the best music videos from the previous year, took place on September 9, in Las Vegas at The Palms. The 2007 VMAs were the smallest VMAs ever held in MTV history, eliminating 13 awards, re-naming many of the remaining awards, and having only four...

. Her jewellry has also been worn by the likes of Barbara Streisand, Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor

Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...

, Heidi Klum

Heidi Klum

Heidi Samuel , better known by her birth name Heidi Klum, is a German model, actress, television host, businesswoman, fashion designer, television producer, and occasional singer. In 2008 she became an American citizen while maintaining her native German citizenship...

 and Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian

Kimberly Noel "Kim" Kardashian is an American socialite, television personality, model, actress and businesswoman. She is known for the E! reality series that she shares with her family—Keeping Up with the Kardashians, and its spin-offs including Kourtney and Kim Take New York...

, among others. She has also been approached by organizations for commissions, such as ESPN The Magazine

ESPN The Magazine

ESPN The Magazine is a bi-weekly sports magazine published by the ESPN sports network in Bristol, Connecticut in the United States. The first issue was published on March 11, 1998....

, which had her make a "30-carat, diamond-and-ruby logo" for their 10th anniversary baseball caps. She was also involved in the "Art for Life" gala in 2007, which was led by Russell Simmons

Russell Simmons

-External links:** * * * * * * from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum* *...

 and his ex-wife, Kimora Lee Simmons

Kimora Lee Simmons

Kimora Lee Simmons is an American fashion model, and former president and Creative Director for Phat Fashions.-Early life:...

. In the 2006 song, Upgrade U

Upgrade U

"Upgrade U" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles for her second studio album, B'Day . The song features additional vocals from Knowles' then-boyfriend and now-husband, hip hop artist Jay-Z. It was composed by Swizz Beatz, Cameron Wallace, Knowles, MK, Makeba, Sean Garrett,...

, Lorraine Schwartz is mentioned.

Collections

Schwartz has made various jewelry collections throughout her career. In 2007, she released the Diamond Monkey Collection.

Philanthropy

In 2009, she created the Shulamit Banjamini Sandberg Medical Research Grant, which supports a physician with $225,000 to last over three years for cancer research. It was created "in honor of her late mother".