A Blass Act: Gugelmann - who designs and models - is the new face for Bill Blass New York   (Photo: Andrew Hetherington)

Zani Gugelmann finally got her ears pierced last year—a bit late in life (age 24) for a jewelry designer who specializes in earrings. Though her mother had warned against it—“Your lobes will sag!”—she made the decision after a Halloween-party appearance as J.Lo (in clip-ons). Coincidentally enough, less than a year later, Ms. Lopez herself prompted a boom in Gugelmann’s business by wearing her filigree earrings to the Glow launch party. Other fans include Kate Hudson and supermodel Karolina Kurkova. When she’s not accessorizing models, Gugelmann, the new face of Bill Blass New York, is one herself. “She has the self-assurance of a CEO,” says design director José Solis. “Plus this exotic sensuality.” But she doesn’t always lead the glamorous life. Gugelmann must frequently trek to the dusty town in northern Peru where her jewelry is handmade. “The village is taken over by stray dogs and begging children,” she laments. “And the artesanos have a reputation for being drunkards, but the gentleman I work with takes it very seriously.”

Related:

• Archive: “New York Minute”
• Articles by Denise Penny
• Table of Contents: Oct 20, 2003 issue of New York | Subscribe!