I had just landed in New Orleans, and I get a text from Sarah, the Saint Claude jewelry designer, that said “You’re here?! You better come see me.” The girls and I had just landed in NOLA for the first time, and I was lucky enough to have a friend who was a local. It was hot and humid, so we slowly walked to the Garden District to Sarah’s home. I remember she sent me a necklace, and inside had fresh lavender from her garden. The smell filled in my entire apartment. They felt as if they were freshly picked…not sitting in the mail for days. Now I got to see her cozy home in person. The thing about NOLA is that the houses are extremely narrow, but long. Very long. They’re huge! We scoured her design studio. It had that Southern rock n’ roll charm. We decked ourselves out in her rings, arrow necklaces, and earrings before heading into the night. This Louisiana native knew exactly where to go. We hopped in a car to Bywater…a cool, underground district known for it’s good wine and music. I could have stayed there all night long. We got dropped off back in the French Quarter, and got stopped in our tracks by a group of teenage boys all playing the saxophone. Mesmerized by their energy. Soulful tunes blasted from every bar. Eventually we found ourselves seated at a quiet pizza joint…only to realize we got so caught up we never checked out at the last bar. NOLA nights never really end.

// Saint Claude necklace, earrings, and rings //

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