VICTORIA LAMPLEY

Meet Victoria Lampley. Jewelry advisor, founder of The Stax, a mother, and a self-described maximalist who is allergic to small talk. She'll tell you the best stacks feel collected rather than styled. Then she'll go out for the night and add more.

Welcome to Babes in HART. Let’s say we just met at a dinner party. How would you introduce yourself?

Hi! I’m Victoria. I’m allergic to small talk.

At its core, our jewelry is about authenticity—wearing what reflects who you really are and tells your story. What lights you up?

Really authentic people—people who exude warmth and have a deeply personal sense of style. Falling in love with my husband. Being a mother. Being a sister. Being a friend. Being sober. And a very heavy charm bracelet with a few hand-engraved charms, preferably with a story or two behind them.

How did you first find your way into the jewelry world professionally?

After I lost my mother to cancer almost ten years ago—December 18th marks a decade without her—I was searching for a way to channel my grief into something tangible, something beautiful that I could admire and carry with me.

I started The Stax on Instagram. The name is a hat-tip to my mother, who was a DJ in her heyday. Her nickname was “Stax,” as in Stax of Wax records.

I began by simply sharing my aesthetic and the jewelers I loved—some new, some old—and over time, The Stax became a discovery platform for jewelry and a way for me to introduce people to designers, objects and stories I found compelling. In many ways, it’s all inspired by my mother and her love of color, art, movement, history and beautiful things. My daughter, Lila Stax, is a huge part of that inspiration too. She never had the chance to know her grandmother, so I’ve always loved the idea of creating and collecting pieces for her that carry a little bit of my mother’s spirit—jewels with stories that can connect Lila to the grandmother she never got to meet

What advice would you give someone who wants to build a career in jewelry, whether as a stylist, buyer or consultant?

Develop your eye before you develop your business plan. Look at everything—jewelry, yes, but also art, interiors, fashion, architecture, old photographs, books, auction catalogues. Learn the history, learn the makers, ask questions and touch as much jewelry as you possibly can.

And don’t underestimate the importance of relationships. Jewelry is incredibly personal, and this business is built on trust. Your point of view might get someone’s attention, but how you make people feel is what makes them come back.

What does a well-considered stack look like to you, on a random Tuesday versus a night out?

I’m probably the wrong person to ask about restraint! Maximalist to my core. I don’t think a stack needs to be perfectly balanced or follow a formula. The best ones feel collected rather than styled—something inherited next to something contemporary, fine jewelry mixed with something sentimental or completely unserious.

On a random Tuesday, I’m already wearing quite a lot. For a night out, I’m probably just adding more.

There’s a real sense of curation behind the brands you bring to your clients. What makes a designer stand out to you for a trunk show or private shopping event? What is your process for creating a successful private shopping experience?

I have to genuinely love it. I never want to sell something simply because I think it will sell. I’m drawn to designers with a distinct point of view—work where you can almost recognize the maker before you know who made it. Craftsmanship matters, but so does soul.

For an event, I think about the mix almost like setting a dinner table. I want different personalities in conversation with one another, not six versions of the same thing. And I want the experience to feel intimate, relaxed and fun—more like being invited into someone’s home and discovering something wonderful than walking into a traditional retail environment.

The best private shopping experiences don’t really feel like shopping at all.

How do you keep a personal point of view while still serving so many different clients and audiences?

By not assuming my taste has to become someone else’s taste. My point of view is what brings people to me, but my job is to understand their point of view.

I love figuring out what someone is drawn to, what they already own, what they actually wear and what might push them just slightly outside their comfort zone. I don’t want my clients to look like me. I want them to look more like themselves, just extra sparkly.

With so much competition for attention, how do you tell the difference between a fleeting trend and something built to last?

I think the things that last have an identity beyond the moment they’re having. A great piece can feel completely relevant now while also looking as though you might have found it twenty years ago—or could hand it to someone twenty years from now.

I’m not anti-trend at all; trends are fun. I just don’t think everything has to pretend to be timeless. The question is whether you’ll still love the piece after everyone else has stopped talking about it.

Do you dress around a piece of jewelry, or does the jewelry come last?

Jewelry is usually first because, frankly, a lot of it never comes off. I love the tension of serious jewelry with something very unserious—a great old T-shirt, men’s trousers, a sweatshirt, whatever.

I never want jewelry to feel too precious to live in. Wear the diamonds to the grocery store.

What does a jewelry capsule collection look like to you? What are the non-negotiables?

Something inherited or sentimental. A great watch. A substantial chain. A signet ring. Hoops you can sleep in. A ring that feels slightly too big or strange. Something with color. And a charm bracelet that gets heavier—and hopefully more interesting—with age.

But the real non-negotiable is that none of it should feel like it came from a checklist. A jewelry collection should be a little autobiography.

THE GOOD STUFF

Favorite quote or mantra?

Que sera, sera.

One accessory you never travel without?

My friendship bracelet with my late mother—a Tiffany rose-gold bangle she gave me in high school. I haven’t taken it off since.

Favorite vacation destination?

The Bahamas, where my husband and I fell in love and got married.

Go-to beauty or skincare product?

I’m incapable of choosing one. I always carry my Shu Uemura eyelash curler, Fara Homidi Lip Compact in Nude 2, Merit Minimalist stick, Country & Stream Natural Honey Lip and Lisa Eldridge Seamless Glide Eye Pencil in Burnt Umber.

For skincare, I swear by Biologique Recherche creams and tonics during the day and Luzern Crème Nuit at night.

Favorite album (or current repeat listen)?

My Liked Songs playlist on Spotify always hits. Lately I’ve been blasting Yo La Tengo around the house, then promptly pivoting to ’90s dancehall if I get too melancholy.

What’s on your nightstand right now?

Lemme Sleep gummies, a Dr. Jart Jelly Bear lip mask, a dish full of rings and elastic hairbands from my daughter, The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine N. Aron, and always Gold Bond Healing Hand Cream. I’ve tried them all, people, and this one REALLY works for pillowy-soft hands.

Who’s your style muse, past or present?

My mother and my daughter, Lila Stax, always. Brigitte Bardot, Talitha Getty, Loulou de la Falaise, Slim Keith, Ali MacGraw… Chloë Sevigny forever. And I love my friend Adwoa Aboah. I’m always drawn to women who have that little something you can’t quite put your finger on—who dress instinctively, wear things their own way, and make you want to know more about them

Dressed up or dressed down?

Ideally, a mix of both. Let’s not take any of it too seriously. Every day is the first day of the rest of your life, so dress your best—whatever that means to you.

Shop Victoria 's Look