After redesign: Aquamarine setting surrounded by heirloom diamonds

Before redesign: heirloom diamond ring

The day beautiful butterfly jewelry caught the eye of four-year-old Laura Ortiz McCaffrey at Stuyvesant Plaza; she decided she would become a jeweler.

Today, she combines professional excellence with the power of positive energy to create finely crafted designs that subconsciously call to you.

“I’m drawn to the energetic and symbolic side of jewelry,” said Laura, the founder of La OM Jewelry. “For me, jewelry is not decoration, it’s identity.”

Giving Jewelry that Golden Touch

Whether designing ready-to-wear pieces or luxury custom fine jewelry, Laura intentionally welds an artistic mastery that shines through her work.

“Intention is everything. It is what gives a piece meaning beyond aesthetics,” she said.

Laura, a SUNY Geneseo graduate, trained under Jason Marchiafava, a former Master Craftsman for Tiffany & Co., and earned her Graduate Bench Jeweler Certification from the New Approach School for Jewelers in 2015.

She continued to refine her skills at local jewelers’ benches until 2016, when Laura launched La OM Jewelry. Her earliest collections centered on hand-formed, cold-fusion wire work with a fluid, sculptural vitality all their own.

For several years, Laura hosted private consultations and classes from La OM’s retail studio space in Albany. In 2022, Laura, who maintains membership with the Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America, began integrating more warm copper pieces into her collection, while continuing to create fine custom jewelry in gold and platinum.

Today, she works by appointment, collaborating one-on-one with clients to create heirloom redesigns, bespoke pieces, and totally new pieces true to their unique vision.

Laura Ortiz McCaffrey
Photo by Corey Aldrich

Infused with Sacred Significance 

No matter what Laura is working on, she carefully chooses materials, paying careful attention to proportion, placement, and meaning, to create jewelry that possesses strong symbolic significance.

“When I choose conflict-free, responsibly mined, recycled, or lab-grown materials, I’m reducing harm at the source. That integrity matters. You can feel the difference when something is created in alignment rather than through extraction,” she said. “Wearing ethical jewelry becomes more than adornment, it becomes an extension of personal values.”

Laura, a Reiki master, gives inherited pieces new life by clearing negative energies from the pieces she receives, infusing them with the best intentions and highest vibrations possible.

An Elevated Experience

Because her foundation in mastering jewelry techniques has coincided with her energetic work, Laura can walk clients from concept all the way through to finished piece with confidence. For custom pieces, Laura uses 3D CAD modeling or hand-carved wax to give clients a preview of the design before the final fabrication. Depending on complexity, each piece is completed in six to 12 weeks.

For an elevated shopping experience, during La OM’s fun and informative Adornment Evenings, Laura will bring a curated selection of jewelry for you and your guests to choose from in a friendly, intimate setting.

∅ La OM Jewelry will be available at the Annual Beekman Street Art Fair on June 14, 2026, and at River Rocks Jewelry and Bead Shop in Troy. For updates, follow @LaOMjewelry on Facebook and Instagram. For more information, go to  laomjewelry.com