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I’m still a little amazed when I think about how this collaboration came to be. In 2024, I had the absolute honor of creating my first-ever partnership collection with the incredibly talented LP Giobbi. LP and her team approached me to design pieces around her album and The Way Back Home Tour, and suddenly she was cruising around the country in her CMD armor, playing piano and spreading her musical energy while wearing rings we had created together.
The Way Back Home Collection was designed to capture the bold light of LP's music and the empowering energy she exudes on stage. From substantial statement rings to layered stack sets, the collection is rooted in confidence, self-expression, music, badass women and jewelry made to become part of how you move through the world.
If you’re new here, welcome to the world of stacking and accessorizing like you mean it. Colleen Mauer Designs is a small, women-owned and operated jewelry company. Today, our all-female team of four designs, produces and shares everything we make, with my designs originating in Asbury Park, New Jersey and our jewelry handmade by Aryana and Sam in our Upstate New York production studio.
We pour ourselves into every ring, bracelet, earring and necklace. We’re perhaps best known for our stacking rings, but some of the work that means the most to me now happens through Custom and Reconstruction. This collaboration ended up touching both sides of that work in ways I never could have predicted.
LP Giobbi is an American DJ, music producer and classically trained jazz pianist known for her incredible music and wildly energetic performances. Growing up in a household where her parents followed the Grateful Dead, LP developed a deep love for music from an early age. Today, her own work lives at this wonderful intersection of piano, electronic music, movement and joy.
She’s also the founder of Femme House, a nonprofit working to create greater equity in electronic music by supporting women, gender-expansive, BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ creatives through education, workshops, mentorship and other resources.
In summary, LP Giobbi is a badass and an absolute inspiration. I feel incredibly honored to call her a friend and collaborator, and she became the perfect muse for The Way Back Home Collection. Watching her rock her CMD armor on stage still gives me a little pinch-me feeling.
I first saw LP Giobbi perform at Burning Man in 2023, where I had the chance to witness her wildly electric performance. The energy she brought under The Fluffy Cloud art piece was nothing short of magical, and I felt it deep in my soul. For me, electronic music and dancing at a show is a form of meditation, a way to escape reality and connect with others through shared experience and joy. LP’s music has a way of transporting you and letting you completely lose yourself in the experience.
When I returned home to New Jersey after my sixth Burning Man, I followed LP on Instagram and saw she'd be performing in NYC. I grabbed my friend Alex and made plans to attend her upcoming show at The Knockdown Center. Alex's friend Latane played B2B with LP that night, meaning they took turns playing tracks on the same decks, and it was a total vibe. After the show, Alex and I were invited backstage into the green room, where I was able to meet LP and share my appreciation for her music and performance.
Our connection was instant, and it felt like LP was an old friend from another lifetime. She immediately noticed the arsenal of CMD rings I was wearing, including my 14k Rogue Ring, my square Third Avenue stack and, of course, my Armor Ring. LP wanted to know everything about CMD, and she was incredibly engaged as I shared my own personal story. It was a beautiful exchange of mutual respect and inspiration, and I felt a strong sense of camaraderie with someone whose work I truly admire. LP is a soul sister, indeed.
When I returned home from my cross-country adventure the following summer, I found an email from LP’s marketing team asking if I'd be available to discuss a potential partnership. During our Zoom meeting, LP asked if I would be interested in styling her with some ring armor for her upcoming tour. I replied, “Oh my god, OF COURSE, it would be an honor!” I remained calm during the meeting, but my inner voice was freaking out. It felt like a dream come true to style this incredible human.
I still think this project is a testament to the magic that happens when you take a leap of faith and connect with someone who inspires you. My advice? Be bold. Give the compliment. Wear the jewelry!
Our partnership was always about more than making a group of rings for a tour. The Way Back Home Collection brought together art, music, personal history and the idea of jewelry as armor. Some designs came directly from LP’s story, while others were CMD pieces she naturally gravitated toward and made part of her own visual language.
The collection has evolved since its original launch, and a few of the early pieces have since retired. These are some of the designs still living in LP’s Personal Ring Bar today:
The LP Stack Ring Set: A substantial mixed-metal stack that captures the layered, bold approach to jewelry LP wears so naturally on stage.
The Femme House Ring: Created in honor of Femme House, this substantial design honors the organization and the work LP has done to make the music industry more equitable. There is also a sunken diamond version for a little extra sparkle.
Silver Armor Ring with Initials: Our wide CMD Armor Ring made personal with hand-stamped initials. It feels especially fitting in a collection built around the idea of wearing your own armor.
The Succession Ring Set: A layered stack inspired by rhythm, repetition and movement. LP has been known to rock this one on her pinky.
Not Your Grandma's Diamond Ring: A solid 14k gold band set with eight diamonds. LP’s version is particularly special because we created hers using diamonds that belonged to her grandmother, turning family stones into something completely her own.
The Suse Ring: Inspired by the power of music, dreams and love, this 4mm silver densa band features a 14k yellow gold inlay within a wide hand-carved channel. It was named for one of the rare connections in LP’s life that deserved to become part of the jewelry story.
The current collection also includes some of the foundational designs LP wears alongside those pieces, including the Framework Ring, Pipeline Ring, 14k Rogue Ring, Libra Ring, Catalyst Ring, the Silver Armor Ring and several solid 14k gold stacking bands.
We’ve also since added the customizable Chosen Family Cuff Bracelet and Wide Chosen Family Cuff Bracelet, which were inspired by the gifts LP Giobbi had us create for her wedding party. These designs carry that same celebration of the people and connections we choose to keep close.
One part of this collection has become particularly meaningful to me because it overlaps so naturally with the direction my work has taken since the original launch. LP’s Not Your Grandma's Diamond Ring was made using her grandmother’s diamonds, giving stones that already held family history an entirely new life on LP’s hand.
That is exactly the kind of work I love doing through Reconstruction. Maybe you have your grandmother’s diamonds, an old wedding ring, loose stones or gold that no longer feels like you. The materials can carry their history forward without requiring you to keep wearing the original jewelry exactly as it was.
If LP’s ring makes you think about something sitting in your own jewelry box, you can learn more about our Custom and Reconstruction process here.
And somehow, the story kept going.
What started with Burning Man, a backstage conversation and a collection of tour jewelry eventually grew into a real friendship and an ongoing creative relationship. Later, LP pulled me aside and asked if I would design the wedding bands for her and Chad. I was absolutely floored.
LP’s engagement ring is an ornate diamond daisy that belonged to Chad’s mom, so this project immediately brought another heirloom into the story. We designed two bands that would contour around the daisy without overpowering it, while Chad’s bands echoed the same shapes in solid 14k gold. We worked through wax prototypes, refined the curves together and eventually brought the designs to life in gold and diamonds.
Then came one of the most surreal parts of the entire journey: I was invited to their wedding in Isla Mujeres, Mexico and got to watch them exchange rings I had helped create. Seeing jewelry move from an idea on the bench into something attached to vows, memories and an actual marriage is hard to put into words.
I wrote the whole story in this blog post. If you’ve ever wondered what a truly custom CMD project can become, that one is worth a read.
Looking back now, I love that this collaboration began with something as simple as noticing someone who inspired me and telling her so. I had no idea that an electric performance at Burning Man would eventually lead to a jewelry collection, inherited diamonds, custom wedding bands, a wedding in Mexico and a friendship that means so much to me.
The Way Back Home Collection still feels like LP’s personal Ring Bar, filled with pieces that carry her energy while leaving plenty of room for you to make them your own. The tour may have ended, but the jewelry and the story certainly haven’t.
And if this story has you thinking about your own heirloom materials, wedding jewelry or a completely original piece you’d love to bring to life, that’s where my work is increasingly taking me. You can learn about Custom and Reconstruction or start with a complimentary consultation to talk through what might be possible.
May your feet always find a way to the dance floor, and may your jewelry be an extension of your story.
xo,
Colleen
© Colleen Mauer Designs. All rights reserved.
Published: November 14, 2024
Updated: August 24, 2026
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