Kendra Scott dishes on designing jewelry loved by celebrities and royals

Kendra Scott‘s jewelry designs started off with a dream in the Lone Star State; now, they’re sported by countless stars.

But household-name status didn’t always seem inevitable in Scott’s “true American dream story,” as the Texas-based jewelry designer tells Page Six Style she was once “making everything by hand” and “going door to door with jewelry in a tea box.”

“The impossible happened in a lot of ways,” adds the A-list favorite, whose creations have now “Bejeweled” everyone from Taylor Swift to Mindy Kaling to Gwyneth Paltrow — the latter of whom was introduced to Scott by a mutual pal.

“[Paltrow] had questions for me, and of course I had so many questions for her, and it just sparked a friendship — us both being moms to kids that are similar ages as well [as] running pretty big businesses,” she recalls of their first lunch together, adding that the Oscar winner “also loves the products.”

Pendant Initial Necklace ($65)

While Paltrow’s picks include pieces like the Pendant Initial Necklace ($65) and Vincent Chain Necklace ($80) — which she layered together in an Instagram post on Mother’s Day in 2022 — it’s perhaps Scott’s bestselling Elisa Pendant Necklace ($65) that has the most fans, famous or not. In fact, according to the designer, her brand sells one of the style every minute.

Elisa Pendant Necklace ($65)

“I knew when I was starting this business that I really wanted to have shapes that were identifiable, and that were so different than what any other brand was doing,” Scott says of the distinctive pendant, which has been spotted on the likes of Swift and Simone Biles. (Fittingly, the Olympian even switched to the similarly bestselling 14-karat version, which retails for $1,200, after becoming a gold medalist.)

The brand’s more budget-friendly baubles regularly hit the red carpet on longtime fans like Kelly Clarkson, who selected the Blair Open Frame Earrings ($130, originally $175) for the 2022 People’s Choice Awards.

Blair Open Frame Earrings ($130, originally $175)

“If you look at a lot of celebrities, you think, ‘Oh, they have their one dress figured out,’” Scott recalls of bringing “lots of options” for Clarkson’s big night.

“In a lot of cases they have three [outfit] options. You never know what’s going to happen.”

Also among Scott’s superstar fans? Lizzo, who wore the Maggie Hoop Earrings ($80) — which Scott calls a “simple filigree hoop that never goes out of style” — for SXSW in 2022, and Megan Thee Stallion, who once stacked the Vincent Bracelet ($60) and Monika Chain Bracelet ($60) while performing at Austin City Limits.

Maggie Hoop Earrings ($80)

The bling’s also a hit on TikTok, having famously popped up in countless #Bama Rush videos in addition to capturing the attention of content creators like Dixie D’Amelio, whose collection includes the Carmen Tennis Necklace ($120).

Beyond Hollywood and internet royalty, Scott has also earned a famous fan in Meghan Markle, who she says has worn her styles “quite a bit over the years.”

In addition to participating in the Archewell Foundation’s 40×40 campaign in 2021, the jewelry designer also gifted the Duchess of Sussex an “engraved piece” when her and Prince Harry’s son, Archie, was born in 2019.

“She wrote me the most beautiful letter back in the most beautiful handwriting,” recalls the “Born to Shine” author. “When people say she has gorgeous handwriting, they are correct. It was a handwritten, beautiful note to thank me for that piece.”

But while the brand’s had countless celebrity “pinch me” moments over the years — and expanded to offer everything from men’s styles to her most recent Yellow Rose collection — Scott remains reluctant to say she’s “made it.”

“I don’t know if I’ve ‘made it.’ I’m so excited to where we’ve grown this company … [and] about the things that we’ve been able to accomplish from a philanthropic standpoint as well, that I could have never dreamed possible,” says Scott.

“But I still have so many things I still want to accomplish and do.”