About Us
Established in 1995 by Tarina Tarantino and her husband Alfonso Campos following Tarina’s passion for creating unique jewelry that could not be found anywhere in the mid-nineties minimalistic fashion landscape. Our pieces and colorful playful style sparked a cult following that spread globally giving people everywhere permission to make a statement and have fun wearing jewelry.
'From the very beginning, our emphasis has been on making the highest quality collections right here in Los Angeles, the city where we met and fell in love, where we have raised our girls and the city that continually inspires us'.
Our Brand Values
We believe in fashion freedom and radical individuality, that great jewelry has superpowers, that color is a magical language, that what you wear should tell your story, that if you look amazing you will feel amazing and that you should play dress up every day - no matter what the occasion, but most of all we believe that sparkle is a state of mind and a way of life.
Unique Designs
Each of our collections are created from sketch to sample with an emphasis on fearless design. The superpowers of great jewelry come from the many hours of sweating the tiniest of details. Unexpected colors, materials and techniques make each collection timeless. For us jewelry is main event, not the sideshow. Our pieces are meant to stop traffic and start conversations. Tarina’s biggest inspiration in her design process is her desire to arm herself and her clients with a jewelry box of pieces that transcend trends; pieces that elevate any look and help you express your own unique style.
Using What We Have
From the very beginning we have been driven to source ethically operated and quality conscious suppliers of our many materials. This led us to create partnerships with mostly family owned boutique factories. This gave us the ability to develop custom molds for many of our components and also purchase entire lots of vintage deadstock and Swarovski crystals, much of which would date back to the 1940’s. Today our unique and vast collection of these materials gives us the ability to continue creating exclusive limited edition pieces with very little new sourcing. Our commitment is to responsibly create high quality jewelry that you will love to wear and collect and keep forever.
Meet Tarina
Based in Los Angeles, Tarina Tarantino co-founded her eponymous brand in 1995 with her husband, Alfonso Campos. Her early collections consisted of hand sculpted polymer clay necklaces, bejeweled cocktail rings, hair accessories and collage pins made from vintage charms and gemstones. She is perhaps best known for her signature custom cameos and Lucite pieces combined with Swarovski Crystal in op-art color combinations. What began as a passion for creating statement pieces rapidly evolved into a cult following, setting trends among stylists, celebrities, and fashion enthusiasts worldwide.
Tarina’s design aesthetic disrupted the minimalist fashion landscape of the early '90s, ushering in a new era of chic yet playful accessories. Her collections have been featured in premiere stores and boutiques worldwide and have graced the pages of top magazines like Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire and Glamour. Her pieces have also been showcased on television, red carpets, and iconic films including “13 Going on 30” and many more.
A pioneer of the Y2K fashion movement, Tarina Tarantino has collaborated with iconic brands such as Hello Kitty, Barbie, Sephora, Kid Robot, and Warner Bros. (The Wizard of Oz). Most recently, she collaborated on a limited edition jewelry collection with Heaven Marc Jacobs. Her best-selling book, "The Sparkle Factory," offers readers an intimate glimpse into her vibrant world, sharing her inspiring journey and distinctive jewelry-making style.
Family Business
What started in our tiny apartment all those years ago with just the two of us grew into a factory of many in downtown Los Angeles. ‘The Sparkle Factory’is where we operated our brand for over 15 years while our two daughters, Chloe and Olivia, grew up watching us build the company. The pandemic lockdowns took a toll on downtown forcing us to make a decision about the future of the brand and where we would operate.
Not knowing quite how we could make it work we moved our entire factory and design studio to a new location. Our daughters, who both have busy lives and other talents they are pursuing, beautifully stepped in and have joined us. Today we all live and create in our little compound that we call Hollywood Wonderland. We are so excited to enter the next chapter of our brand together and hope you will all come along too.
We invite you to follow us on
tik-tok:
@tarinatarantino @hollywoodwonderland
Instagram:
@tarinatarantino @hollywoodwonderland
for a peek into our world.