Gemstone Nerd: Akaila Reid

New York-based designer Akaila Johnson shares the lessons she’s learned since launching her own brand two years ago.

“Inspiration can come from everywhere,” says Akaila Johnson, who celebrates color and femininity with her unconventional palettes and timeless silhouettes. She spent two years studying gemology and jewelry design at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in New York, building an inventory of exceptional gemstones, and then launched her Akaila Reid brand in 2020.

As a proud millennial, Johnson is committed to using social media not only to share her sketches and designs, but also to reflect authenticity by presenting the political movements she supports. Here, she discusses her sources of inspiration and the challenges she has encountered while making custom designs for her clients.

Do you remember your first piece of jewelry? Who gave it to you, and when?
My first piece of jewelry, [as is the case for] many millennial girls, was a silver Return to Tiffany’s tag necklace. I was about 10 or 11 when I received it from my grandmother for Christmas. This began a tradition that still lasts today — even though my grandma has passed — where I get something from Tiffany’s every Christmas.

Which designers do you admire and why?
There are many, but those who work with color in an interesting way are the ones I admire most, like James de Givenchy of Taffin, JAR, Brent Neale, David Michael Jewels, Lauren Harwell Godfrey, and Nak Armstrong, to name a few. Also, someone who is not a designer in the traditional sense, but someone I so admire and whose work I see as thoughtful design, is Jean-Noel Soni of Top Notch Faceting.

What are your main sources of inspiration?
Many times, it’s the stones themselves that inspire me. The wide variety of colors that mother nature can create amazes me. A lot of my inspiration also comes from life: from the art I see, to the people around me, to the city I love, to the places I visit and cultures I get to experience. I truly believe inspiration can come from anywhere and everywhere.

What advice would you have wanted to get before you started? What would you tell young designers starting a new brand?
To be patient, tenacious and believe in yourself wholeheartedly. Those are things I still sometimes have to remind myself to do. It takes time to build a brand, so don’t compare yourself to those who have been in business for years, especially during this strange time we are living in. When things get hard or feel too overwhelming, just keep going, and don’t be afraid to ask for help along the way. Most importantly, your belief in yourself and your talent will show through in everything you do and will attract others.

What are the challenges you face when working on custom-made designs?
For me, the biggest challenge is not letting too much of my aesthetic overshadow what the client wants. Not that I think I know everything, because I definitely don’t, but I often want to inject too much of myself into their ideas. Also, those who don’t understand that custom can take longer than normal to finish can be a challenge. When we’re making a custom piece, we often have to spend more time sourcing the perfect stones and creating a new computer-aided design (CAD) model, both of which take more time. I am also very picky, so there can be the added time that comes with tweaking the design until it’s perfect. 

In your social media, you share political messages, such as your support for Black Lives Matter (BLM) and your election preferences. Why do you choose to do this?
To me, Akaila Reid isn’t just a brand, it is me — it is my heart, and supporting the political causes that I hold close is of the utmost importance to me. Staying silent just wasn’t an option for me — often, silence says a lot more than speaking up. I decided that if my views were so offensive to someone that they chose not to support the brand, then so be it. I want Akaila Reid to be completely authentic to who I am and to establish early on that talking about difficult things shouldn’t be difficult — it should be the norm.

Which piece was the most challenging to create?
Some of the most challenging and time-consuming pieces are those featuring free-form pavé. My Ethiopian opal cuff was one that took a lot of patience and care to make. Drilling the opals was a challenge because of their softness; they are prone to cracking. Then there was the time it took to set the 12 carats of diamonds [of all different sizes] in an irregular pattern.

Your Planet Pink collection was inspired by Ethiopian and pink opals. Why did you choose them? What makes them special for you?
To make a long story short, I was in a design class and dreamed up a piece that featured large opal balls. I was then told by a teacher that my design was ridiculous because nobody would ever cut opals that large. Being the strong-willed person I am, I was quick to ignore the statement and vowed to one day find my dream opals. Fast forward a few months, I was at the gem fair in Tucson and came across someone who was in fact selling the large opal balls featured in my pieces, and I knew I had to have them. So for me, not only are they special because they look like an entire world lives within them, but also because I was told I would never find them and did. 

Is there a gemstone you’d like to work with in the future?
As a graduate gemologist, I am a bit of a gemstone nerd. There are so many that I love and dream about working with, but the one that stands out the most is alexandrite. The phenomenon of color change is one that will always fascinate me. The fact that with a simple change of lighting, your stone becomes something different is magnificent.

How do you think millennials and younger customers are influencing this industry?
I think the trend of young women shopping for themselves has made it so a more unique, colorful, funky style of jewelry has become the norm. No longer is fine jewelry saved only for special occasions; it is worn every day and mixed with everything from vintage silver pieces to friendship bracelets made of yarn. There is much less of a precious feeling with fine jewelry and more of a celebration.

What are the next steps for your brand?
I am determined that this be the year I finally conquer Instagram. It’s time I engaged more often and more thoughtfully on the platform. I am lucky enough to work with a great sales team, so hopefully soon you’ll see Akaila Reid in some of the best jewelry stores around the country. There are more collections in the works that I can only hope will be as well received as Planet Pink. With hard work and a bit of patience, I am confident that Akaila Reid will only continue to grow.

Main image: Akaila Johnson. Photo: Lauren Newman.