Starring Yanina Makoviy (@yaninamak_) | Photographed by Mike Yi in Bk, NY
Creative Direction: Nina Lato
Photography & Video: Mike Yi
Hair & Makeup: Kamilla Rovshanbekova
Model & Muse: Yanina Makoviy
Jewelry: Vickie Riggs Designs | @vickieriggsdesigns
The first time Vickie Riggs held a jeweler’s torch, she wasn’t chasing a career, she was chasing curiosity. But when the solder flowed under flame for the first time, something shifted. It was alchemy. And in that moment, surrounded by sparks and silence, Riggs realized she wasn’t dabbling anymore. She had stepped into her craft.
“I fell in love, not just with the final product,” she reflects, “but with the entire process, the sawing, the filing, the transformation. Every part of creation lit something up in me.” That light never dimmed. Today, Vickie Riggs Designs is a fine jewelry house rooted in soul, story, and sculpture, where metals bend with meaning and stones whisper their own desires.
In her latest editorial, Riggs teamed up with LAFM production and Instagram icon Yanina Makoviy (@yaninamak_), a woman who, much like the jewelry she wore, speaks without saying a word. With over 20 million monthly impressions, Yanina is the kind of woman who owns her image unapologetically. She doesn’t just wear beauty. She embodies boldness.
“Yanina is everything I design for,” says Riggs. “She’s playful, grounded, and totally herself. There’s no hesitation in how she shows up, and that’s the kind of energy that makes a piece come alive.”
Photographed in a light-soaked Brooklyn studio by visual storyteller Mike Yi, and styled by Nina Lato with ethereal beauty by Julia Shevchuk, the shoot captured more than fashion, it captured a vibration. A resonance. The kind of harmony Riggs builds into every one of her pieces.
Her creative process? Entirely intuitive. “Sometimes I hold a stone and see the design instantly,” she shares. “Other times, I sit with it. Sketch. Wait. And then, just before sleep, it reveals itself.” She describes the moment of completion not with technical language, but feeling: “It’s that internal ‘ahhh.’ That’s how I know the piece has found its final form.”
Riggs’ pieces are often described as wearable sculpture, but she never begins with a blueprint. She begins with a feeling. “It always starts with emotion,” she says. “I remember searching for a gem for our 25th anniversary. My dealer pulled out a chocolate diamond, and the second I saw it, my heart started racing. That’s when I know, I’ve found something worth building around.”
The Vickie Riggs woman isn’t defined by age or status, she’s defined by presence. “She’s confident. She leads with intention. And she chooses art over excess.” Still, Riggs hears it all the time: I love this, but I could never pull it off. Her response is always the same: “Why not?”
That moment, when a woman gives herself permission to wear something bold, to step fully into who she is, that’s the magic Vickie is after. “Jewelry is rarely about the piece,” she muses. “It’s about self-permission. It’s about crossing that quiet bridge between how we want to be seen and how we’ve allowed ourselves to show up.”
Even as her pieces make their way into high-profile shoots and editorial placements, Riggs never loses sight of the why. “I didn’t set out to rebel against fast fashion,” she explains, “but I guess I did by following my own voice.” That voice is clear, sculptural, and rooted in intention. Her designs nod to Art Deco romance and the lyrical lines of Art Nouveau, but there’s also architecture and restraint, a geometric edge that balances her softness.
The evolution of her brand has been both organic and surprising. “For a long time, I thought I was creating in a vacuum,” she admits. “But when stylists, editors, and young professionals began reaching out, especially those who know fashion, I realized I wasn’t alone in what I loved.”
It’s not just about beauty. It’s about impact, on identity, on the planet. Riggs works with recycled metals and ethically sourced stones, and partners with lapidary artists who uplift the communities they touch. “These aren’t just materials,” she says. “They carry stories. I want those stories to be ones I’m proud to pass on.”
Some of those stories now live in the digital ether, worn by creators like Yanina in reels that reach millions. But they also live in quiet moments, a gift given, a personal milestone marked. “Seeing someone move in one of my pieces and feel powerful in it,” Riggs says, “that’s the reward. That’s when I know the vision translated.”
If her next collection were named after a feeling, she says it would be Harmony. “So much of my life has unfolded through serendipity, doors opening at the right time, people showing up just when I needed them. Harmony is about trusting that. Creating from it. Letting your instincts lead.”
And just like that, the flame that first sparked in a continuing ed class years ago continues to burn. Only now, it lights the way for others.
Explore the collection at vickieriggsdesigns.com
Follow her journey on Instagram @vickieriggsdesigns
For press inquiries, contact The JKO Agency at jessica@thejkoagency.com
