Bliss is a hapa, which in her Hawaiian homeland means half and half. In her case, she is half Chinese and half white, which she says “makes you think in different ways.” She designs highly visionary jewelry that, while extremely impactful, is designed to be worn with a feeling that one has nothing to prove. It is devoid of ostentation and at the same time attracts you like a magnet. Before I knew Bliss personally, I had seen her jewelry on other people and always had a visceral reaction to its delicacy combined with its unusual and highly provocative placement on the body. But to actually hear Bliss explain why her gems are meant to be literally concealed sends me to another place with its seductive concepts. Diamonds are purposely placed on rings in between the fingers where no one can see them and chains are draped across a breastbone, where it peeks out of a deep V-neck or button-down. Her ornaments are meant to feel so good when you put them on, whether to shower or sleep, that they are designed to be a part of you without question.

With artist parents, Bliss’ primary toy growing up was a sketchbook and as a result, she feels that she possesses an innate reactionary and trusting perspective towards her own work, or as she says, “an emotional reaction, and then I ask myself why I had that and then tell myself that’s the direction I need to go.” A similar instinctual confidence is apparent with her clothes, which are subtle and versatile, while front and center. Like her jewelry, Bliss’ pairing of an earthy, woven Ohne Titel poncho worn over Blackmilk tights with a trompe l’oeil garter portrays a female who is as powerfully seductive within as she is on the surface.

If you love Bliss, you may also like Angela Nam, Hannah Marshall and Rochelle Goldberg.