Moon and Lola Brings Contemporary Southern Jewelry to King Street

A new jewelry store opened on King Street this month that takes traditional southern style jewelry and give it a contemporary twist.

Moon and Lola began nearly 10 years ago as the brainchild of jewelry designer Kelly Shatat of Apex, N.C. The company's new store at 322 King St. is it's first outside of North Carolina, and Charleston's reputation as a top travel destination was one of the main factors Shatat cites in choosing the Holy City for her first foray outside of the Tar Heel State.

"This is brand positioning for us," Shatat said. "We're trying to spread the word about Moon and Lola and a travel destination where people from everywhere come is great for that."

With a jewelry studio in Apex and her flagship store in Raleigh, N.C., Shatat said she had been eying Charleston for Moon and Lola's expansion and the city's selection as the top travel destination in the U.S. by Conde Nast solidified the decision.

Shatat's career as a jewelry designer began as a hobby; she was a pharmacist by training.

"I was always creative and was always playing around with making things," she said. "The jewelry took on a life of its own and everything else fell by the wayside."

Shatat took the Southern style monogram necklace and began casting the letters in colorful acrylic instead of the gold or silver, putting a contemporary twist on a traditional style. Moon and Lola now offer jewelry in more than 30 acrylic colors. In addition to pieces that mix precious metals and plastics, Shatat also creates designs entirely in gold and silver and even throws in the occasional gem stones.

"We're taking the Southern elements of tradition and putting a modern twist on it," she said.

The shop carries items in a wide range of prices, from $8 charms up to $1,600 14 karat gold monograms. 

"We're a jewelry and lifestyle brand," Tara Ciliento, one of Shatat's employees that traveled to Charleston to open the store said. "We're selling an experience."

"It's not exactly fine jewelry, but it's fun jewelry," Ciliento added.