Leila
Charlene Vilella began making jewelry when a friend taught her in middle school. She always had a creative mind and jewelry making was a good outlet. After completing high school, Charlene went on to study graphic design at the University of California, San Diego. She graduated at the top of her class with a degree in multimedia design and was told by one of her professors that her quality of work was the reason why he got into teaching. After college, Charlene was hired by a technology company, Vectron, Inc., to head their graphic design department. While at Vectron, Charlene designed many websites, brochures, and newsletters. She also developed important company presentations and designed booth layouts for tradeshows. Charlene enjoyed her work at Vectron, but her love for jewelry was always on her mind.
In the summer of 2004, Charlene decided to develop and start a jewelry business, called “Leila Jewelry”. Her initial designs were inspired by nature. She attended farmers markets to see what kind of interest she would receive from her designs. The markets were a success - everyone complimented her jewelry and how different it was. After receiving such positive feedback, Charlene decided to sell her jewelry to boutiques. To expand her line, Charlene incorporated trend influences into her designs. It was a hit! LEILA Jewelry was started in 2004 and with much success is currently being sold in over 200 high-end boutiques and department stores in the United States, Japan, Europe, Dubai, and Australia. Leila Jewelry has been worn by many of Hollywood’s “it celebrities” such as Paris Hilton, Eva Longoria, Jessica Simpson, Hilary Duff, Hayden Panettiere, Alicia Sliverstone, Maria Menounos, and Elisha Cuthbert. Leila Jewelry has also been placed in many popular style and celebrity magazines such as, Lucky, InStyle, Elle Girl, InTouch, Star, and OK! Magazine.
