Ohio Designer Megan Piccione Dazzles Lauren Wasser in Diamonds at Met Gala

Megan Piccione turned a Beachwood workshop into a Met Gala storyline when Lauren Wasser stepped onto the red carpet in layers of custom diamond jewelry made in Ohio. The look paired Piccione’s one-of-one pieces with Wasser’s gold Prabal Gurung suit and gold prosthetics, a combination that made the jewelry part of a larger statement about visibility, style, and strength at fashion’s biggest night.

The placement mattered because the Met Gala remains the Costume Institute’s main fundraising engine, and this year’s benefit reportedly brought in $42 million, topping the $31 million record set in 2025. The exhibition tied to the event, Costume Art, opens to the public on May 10, 2026 and runs through January 10, 2027, keeping the gala’s influence alive long after the flashbulbs fade. For an independent designer, that kind of exposure can do what years of regional reputation cannot: translate craft into national credibility.

Piccione’s advantage was not scale, but specificity. National Jeweler identified her as the Ohio designer behind the diamond styling, and Cleveland Magazine described the work as custom, one-of-one pieces completed with her father, Dave, in about a week after Wasser’s Los Angeles stylist first reached out through direct messages. The jewelry had to be rendered for approval from Vogue and Anna Wintour before the final event, a reminder that even a breakout moment at the Met still runs through exacting gatekeepers. Piccione said the experience was “magical,” and the word fits a story built on speed, precision and an unusually personal chain of creation.

That personal chain is part of Piccione’s appeal. Megan Piccione High Jewelry says she is a third-generation high jewelry maker, based in Beachwood at 3201 Enterprise Parkway, and identifies the company as Cleveland’s private custom jeweler. She was also named one of Jewelers of America’s 20 Under 40 in 2024, industry recognition that gives the Met placement real weight rather than one-night novelty. Wasser, who lost both legs in 2012 after toxic shock syndrome, brought her own history and advocacy to the moment, making the gold prosthetics and diamond layers read as more than styling. They became proof that a smaller house, with a clear point of view and disciplined craftsmanship, can still command the same conversation as heritage names on the world’s biggest red carpet.