Romanced by stones at a young age, Ava Solomon Polan was a collector as far back as she can remember. Ava’s friends think “jewelry” when they hear her name—jewelry has always been her passion, and now it is her vocation at Grand Ice.

As a child growing up in New York City, Ava spent hours lost in her mother’s jewelry collection. She knit an entire clothing line for her Barbie doll, and was continually bedazzled by the city’s spectacular range of gems, art and antiques.

While much of Ava’s career was spent in the corporate technology field before her relocation to Los Angeles, her passion for quilting, fashion, interior design, fine art and, of course, jewelry, never waned.

Spurred on by her desire to create what she couldn’t find in stores— affordable and imaginative gemstones that can be worn day or night —Ava began studying with an accomplished Los Angeles jewelry artist. Meanwhile, a friend in the jewelry business gave her exceptional contacts for securing the finest stones and handmade gold and silver findings. Her finished pieces were greeted with widespread enthusiasm, ultimately inspiring her to establish Grand Ice and share her work with the world.

“I surround myself with beauty to satisfy a deep, aesthetic sense,” Ava says, attributing her artistic vision to an inborn connection with art, fashion and design.

Today, Ava can be found working in her Santa Ynez Valley studio amid a 20-acre ranch that overlooks the breathtaking Los Padres Mountains. Cheered on by her loving husband, Art, two Great Danes and a boisterous cockatoo, Ava lovingly nurtures each handcrafted piece, melding her own whimsy with inspiration from her favorite art books and galleries.

“The love of colorful gems affects every part of my life—enabling me to experience each hue’s unique indescribable emotion,” Ava says. “I believe that the pairing of colors is ultimately decided in the heart, not in the head.”