Madonna, Gwen Stefani, Sienna Miller… the most iconic women in the world wear Susan Rosen jewels

Once a best-kept secret amongst New York fashion editors and Hollywood stylists, Susan Rosen rocketed to popular notoriety in 2006 as the designer of history’s most expensive piece of clothing ever made, the $30 million diamond bikini, as seen on Molly Sims in Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue. Fashioned out of 150 carats of flawless white diamonds set in platinum, Rosen’s bikini design epitomized her casually opulent philosophy, and made media waves from Singapore to Russia. Now creating one-of-a-kind pieces for edgy fashion icons Sienna Miller and Lou Doillon, Desperate Housewives stars Teri Hatcher and Felicity Huffman, NBA superstar LeBron James, chanteuse Avril Lavigne and longtime clients Madonna and Sharon Stone, Rosen is currently at work on the debut of her second line, SR2.

Rosen fell in love with fashion and jewelry early on, and collected antique lockets while a student at the George School in Newtown, Pa. On a whim, Susan enrolled in jewelry and small scale sculpture at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where her talent was immediately evident. A stunning, preternaturally sophisticated final portfolio secured her a place at the master’s program at Rhode Island School of Design, where she graduated with honors. Returning to New York and the Philadelphia countryside after an apprenticeship in Europe, Susan Rosen developed her signature aesthetic — super-feminine, highly-detailed, and unapologetically opulent pieces — and quickly drummed up a star-studded following.

Her big break occurred in the watershed year of 2003, when Madonna chose Rosen’s signature diamond peace earrings to wear for her much-publicized anti-war video “American Life.” Soon afterwards, Gwen Stefani was spotted at the Grammy Awards in one of Rosen’s most gorgeous designs, the punk-luxe pave diamond padlock necklace.

The world’s most glamorous and fascinating women quickly followed suit in Rosen’s pieces that year. Sharon Stone, Elizabeth Taylor, Courtney Love, Liza Minelli, Elizabeth Hurley, Britney Spears, Janet Jackson, the Dixie Chicks’ Natalie Maines…all wore Susan’s bespoke creations.

Soon afterwards, Rosen’s flamboyantly forward-thinking pieces made their way into the editorial pages of top publications including Elle, In Style, People, WWD , WJewelry and Sports Illustrated, and Susan expanded her offerings to include exquisitely-detailed custom engagement rings set with princess, Ashoka, emerald, pear and miner cut diamonds.

Active with charities, Rosen has created some of the world’s most astonishing philanthropic designs, including a diamond-and-black-pearl dog collar to benefit Art for Animals in 2003, a three-piece diamond crown ring auctioned off by Maggie Rizer at DIFFA’s 2003 Viva Glam Casino night, and the notoriously extravagant $5 million diamond pasties and G-string ensemble—the first ever such pieces done in diamonds—worn by Dita von Teese at 2005’s New York Academy of Art auction.

Hailed as a “rock chick at heart” and “a modern-day Marie-Antoinette” by the press, Rosen is perhaps her own best client, designing with her edgy, forward-thinking yet always romantic tastes and whims foremost in mind. An avid collector of watches, antique Victorian lockets, Hermès handbags and vintage Jaguars, Rosen frequently brings her passion for mechanisms to the design studio, creating outrageously opulent, trend-setting styles which feature working locks and keys and secret compartments.

Inspired by the nascent energy of the unset diamond and the inherent romance of Victorian pieces, Rosen works closely with New York’s finest gemologists to handcraft each of her pieces, and often uses her rare eye to scout antique stones and exquisite estate jewelry for her clients. Working with her favorite flawless white, pink and yellow diamonds, exotic Burmese rubies, and blue, yellow and pink sapphires, Rosen often incorporates mystical symbols to suffuse her pieces with romance and whimsy.

Many of Rosen’s clients also choose to personalize their own messages in diamonds on Rosen’s rings and signature padlock necklaces and bracelets. Some past examples have included “Baby,” “Sugar,” “Love,” children’s names, initials, and even “Mummy” for Rosen’s glamorous British mothers.

“I just love jewelry,” says Rosen, who is continually mesmerized by the beauty and power of the diamond. “Jewelry has a history—a future and a past. It symbolizes a time of celebration, or a time of sorrow. It evokes so many emotions.”