Leigh Maxwell Celebrates Five Years Of Casual Luxury At Couture Physician-Turned-Artist Creates Meaning And Purpose With Precious Metals And Gemstones

(CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA) – Designer of Leigh Maxwell, Jennifer Maxwell, first discovered jewelry’s captivating powers when she was working as a physician specializing in international health. While traveling extensively to provide healthcare to people living in small villages in Africa, Haiti, and Cambodia, she would purchase jewelry from local artisans to commemorate her experiences and forge connections with the countries and their people. These pieces helped her develop her passion for the art form and an appreciation for its ability to serve as a reminder of life’s most meaningful moments and milestones. 

Jennifer eventually felt drawn to express her own creativity. After making her first piece—a pendant that paid tribute to the peace and splendor of her family’s vacation home in Turks & Caicos—she went on to apprentice with jewelry stores in her hometown of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, while also throwing herself into extensive studies of the craft. In 2017, Jennifer launched Leigh Maxwell, and four years later, Leigh Maxwell made its COUTURE debut.  

Jennifer creates “casual luxury” pieces that are intentional in both design and use of materials. Working only with natural stones, she hand-selects each gemstone, framing it in 18k gold with the brand’s signature warm satin finish. Her limited-production pieces are all made in the United States, at the brand’s Cedar Rapids studio or in Downtown Los Angeles, and the brand is fully transparent about material sourcing and provenance.

Leigh Maxwell continually supports causes near and dear to the designer’s heart, leveraging her platform to benefit several worthwhile organizations. As a survivor of three heart attacks, heart health is deeply personal to Jennifer. In 2025, after years of supporting the American Heart Association (AHA) and the Cedar Rapids Go Red Heart Health Lunch, Jennifer was selected as an AHA ambassador. One of only a few women in Iowa selected for the distinction, she surpassed her fundraising goals by a significant margin. 

In honor of the brand’s five years at COUTURE, Leigh Maxwell will be launching a capsule collection during the 2026 event. Entitled Bauble, the collection highlights some of the finest quality, “juiciest pieces” Leigh Maxwell has created to date. When asked about her steadily rising success over the past five years, Jennifer enthused, “Our team is fabulous! It truly takes a village to create every piece of jewelry and get it to our clients. We have an incredible studio team in Iowa, an amazing agency that supports us and the absolute best retailers.” Always mindful of the bigger picture, she went on to say, “Of course, none of us in this industry could do it without those behind the scenes—the miners, cutters, and bench jewelers.”

In addition to her work with AHA, Jennifer is also proud to boost Gem Legacy, which partners with East African mining communities to provide tools, drive opportunity, strengthen education, and support lasting self-reliance. From September 2024 to January 2025, Leigh Maxwell donated 50% of the net profits from the sale of their Bahati collection to the Sheldrick Wildlife Foundation, which works to conserve wildlife and protect habitats in East Africa. 

For more information or to request high-resolution images, please contact Michelle Orman at Michelle@LastWordComm.com. To book an appointment during COUTURE, contact Kit Mobely at kit@gemsandtonic.com.

Related posts:

Stuller Celebrates 55 Years of Service, Community, and Innovation GIA Honors Susan Jacques Allison-Kaufman Co. Wins Back-to-Back “Triple Crown” Titles: #1 Jewelry Brand, IJO Vendor of the Year, and RJO Vendor of the Year RJO Celebrates Reaching the 1,200 Retail Member Milestone with Witt’s Jewelry in Wayne, Nebraska