Cleveland Jeweler Megan Piccione Shines on Lauren Wasser at Met Gala

Cleveland jeweler Megan Piccione brought a distinctly local point of view to one of fashion’s most scrutinized stages, dressing Lauren Wasser in layered diamonds that read as both red-carpet spectacle and a blueprint for real-world styling. On the Met Gala carpet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Wasser’s gold Prabal Gurung suit and gold prosthetics set the tone, but Piccione’s jewelry gave the look its architecture: a necklace anchored by a 12-carat step-cut marquise diamond with scalloped edging, an 8-carat yellow diamond, and multiple chunky diamond rings made in Beachwood, Ohio.

The proportions mattered. Rather than relying on one oversized statement, Piccione built the look in layers, letting a central stone command attention while the surrounding diamonds extended the shine across the neckline and hands. That approach is what makes the styling feel more than ceremonial. The pieces carried the kind of visual balance that can move from a gala to a black-tie dinner, where one striking center stone and a disciplined stack do more for elegance than excess ever could.

Piccione’s path to the Met was as modern as the jewelry itself. Cleveland Magazine reported that Wasser’s stylist first reached out through direct messages, and within a week Piccione and her father, Dave, were rendering pieces for approval from Vogue and Anna Wintour before assembling them in Beachwood and traveling to New York City to work directly with Wasser’s styling team. Piccione called the appearance her Met Gala debut and said she wanted it to prove that Cleveland can do “elite jewelry design.” She also described the backstage coordination with Wasser’s publicist, hairstylist and makeup artist as chaotic but “magical.”

The look carried added weight because Wasser was not simply another guest. Vogue listed her among the 2026 host committee members, and her appearance arrived as the Costume Institute Benefit opened the museum’s spring exhibition, Costume Art, which goes on view to the public on May 10 and runs through January 10, 2027. The gala itself, held on the first Monday in May, remains the primary funding engine for the Costume Institute’s exhibitions, publications, acquisitions and operations.

For Piccione, the moment also folded in family legacy. Her company describes her as Cleveland’s private custom jeweler, a third-generation high jewelry manufacturer and a Jewelers of America 20 Under 40 honoree. With her husband Giancarlo, her father Dave and her mother Harriet involved in the work, the Met Gala appearance became more than a celebrity placement. It read as a proof point that a Beachwood atelier can compete, stone for stone, on the world’s biggest red carpet.