Your Invitation: Kathy Hilton’s Jewelry Launch

You haven't made it in Hollywood —or at least in Beverly Hills — until you're invited to Kathy Hilton's home.

From her iconic holiday parties to intimate product launch luncheons, Hilton has hosted it all.

Admittedly, it's been at least ten years since we've found ourselves teetering in heels across her grand foyer's black-and-white marble floor; so, when Hilton opened her Bel Air mansion to unveil her jewelry collaboration with Anna Zuckerman, we decided it would be a faux pas to say no.

Read on for details about her new jewelry line as well as the upcoming season of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills." (Small spoiler alert: It just might feature a sparkling friendship bracelet. Or two.)

—Lindzi Scharf

Photos by Mark Von Holden

THE RETAILITY: How did you two initially meet?

KATHY HILTON: It's a funny story. I was Insta-surfing. (I'm going to coin that.) I love jewelry. I've always been a lover of jewelry. My mother, my mother-in-law, my grandmother [had a love of jewelry, too]. [Growing up], my mother would buy us each a little piece for our birthday [and] Christmas. And so, I came across [Anna's Instagram account and debated, 'Are the jewels] real or not?' We started communicating back and forth. Then we lost touch a little bit. I ordered a piece because I wanted to see the quality. Things can look beautiful [online], but then you get it and it's [not]. So, I was impressed, and I didn't realize her background. She had fine jewelry [as well]. I mean, the clasps and everything were beautiful. So, we [lost] touch for a little bit, and she [opened] her store in Boca Raton, and we [met] through a friend a year later. When the pandemic and a lot of the craziness was going on, I said, 'I want all of my jewelry out of the house.' It went directly to the bank. I wanted to be able to sleep at night and I wasn't wearing it. Unless you're going to a glamorous [event] like the Oscars or Vanity Fair [or to] a charity event, do you really wear that jewelry? So, we started talking and she came to several of my charity events, and she said, 'Why don't we do something together?' That was a dream come true for me. It's something I've always wanted to do. I said, 'How long is your lead time?' Because I have had people approach me [in the past]. She said, 'I can get you some things in two, three weeks. Some take a little bit longer.' So, we did about 70 pieces. 50 of them I was very happy with. Once you put something in storage or the bank, you're never going to look at it again, right? I have, in the garage, all these things. I don't know what. I might as well just give them all away because once they're away [you never see them again]. So, I brought her to the bank, and we sat in this private room, and we looked through everything. Things that my husband had given me, the children for Mother's Day, my boys, the girls, my mother, [and] my mother-in-law. We took a lot of inspiration [for our capsule collection from my personal collection]. Some were exact replicas that were made. So, they're unique, one-of-a-kind, and it was exciting.

ANNA ZUCKERMAN: [The process was] long, because each piece tells a story. When you start going through your family heirlooms, you pause and think, 'This was given to my mother on a special occasion,' and with that story [comes a lot of emotion]. Because jewelry is based on emotional purchases. It spoke to me.

KATHY HILTON: I love brooches. So, we're going to eventually do some brooches. ... It's been a lot of fun, and it was emotional going back and looking at all these things. [They're] things that I haven't looked at in a long time. Even when I had them here in the safe, it was such a hassle to get to it. If you don't have it right in front of you, forget it.

THE RETAILITY: Was there a piece that caught you by surprise — that you didn't remember you had — but it all came flooding back the moment you spotted it?

KATHY HILTON: No, I pretty much know what I have, and by the way, I have lost a few things along the way.

ANNA ZUCKERMAN: And that was funny: 'Where’s the ring that…?' We're going to recreate that [for you, though].

KATHY HILTON: Exactly. For a long time, minimalistic jewelry was all the fashion. And by the way, [it was] very expensive, too. I used to go into Barney's. You'd see a little bracelet like this, and it could be $12,000, $15,000, and I'm like, 'What?' Now it's changed. The entertainment and the music industry [have] made it fun [again]. I was at the opening of Saks Fifth Avenue. I wore a white t-shirt with blue jeans, little black booties with a black hoodie that my daughter Nicky designed in the '90s. The lady from Women's Wear Daily said, 'Can I get a picture of you? This is so cool.' I said, 'Just so you know, these are not real. I’m not trying to make it look real. It was fashion.' .... But they looked real. I'm always afraid people are going to think, 'Is she crazy? Is that real? She wears it with jeans!' But everybody loved it.

ANNA ZUCKERMAN: I saw the photo. It was stunning. You were rock and roll.

KATHY HILTON: It was very rock and roll. What I love though about this jewelry is — I am confident going out to dinner or going to a charity event and walking in like I'm wearing the real thing. I always say, when I get a compliment, 'Oh, by the way, it's just fun.' And my friends will say, 'Why do you even say that?' No one asked you. I like to share. I'm one of those girls that would share [the truth]. Yet, I would feel uncomfortable [wearing] a fake Louis Vuitton or a fake Hermes. It's not the same.

ANNA ZUCKERMAN: But these are all sustainable precious metals. We grow our own manmade gems that we cut to fit a design that we have in mind. That's why it's so proprietary to us. there is no such thing as duplicating this or having competition. That's what makes it the most fun because our pieces are so one-of-a-kind. And then, because my past is only fine jewelry, everything is set with precision. All handset and hand-selected gems. So, this is the excitement that we are going to see from this jewelry line. When people receive it, when they see it, they're going to go, 'Ooh and ah,' and they're not going to understand [why] it's priced so accessibly.

KATHY HILTON: We have things starting at $100. I mean, they go up, but we want something for everybody's price range.

ANNA ZUCKERMAN: What's the most expensive piece?

KATHY HILTON: $2,900.

ANNA ZUCKERMAN: You'd feel like a princess.

KATHY HILTON: Now my husband says to me, 'Well, honey, now we don't need to buy you any more real jewelry.'

ANNA ZUCKERMAN: My husband said the same thing.

KATHY HILTON: 'This is just as beautiful.' I'm like, okay.

ANNA ZUCKERMAN: When Kathy and I met, we realized we have so much in common, [and] our husbands [also] have a lot in common. I got the same feedback from my husband supporting my business. He said, 'Oh, thank God. I don't have to buy [or] spend thousands of dollars [buying jewelry for you now].' Which is great because we're all about feeling beautiful, feeling empowered. Your outfit does not end with a dress, a pair of shoes, and a bag. It ends with perfume and accessories. This is serious jewelry. At an accessible price point where you [can] have everyday pieces. You [can also] have pieces that you would wear [for] special occasions. Mother of the bride, bridesmaid's, birthdays, sweet sixteens. There's everything for every occasion.

KATHY HILTON: It's a nice gift to give to bridesmaids. I had 12 in my wedding [party]. I would have loved [this].

ANNA ZUCKERMAN: Speaking about weddings. My anniversary is today. I keep forgetting.

KATHY HILTON: Happy anniversary.

ANNA ZUCKERMAN: We truly [do this] with our husbands' support.

KATHY HILTON: My husband, too—he's very proud of me because he sees that I work hard. I had a store for nine and a half years and it was my favorite store. It was absolutely beautiful, and you don't live here so you wouldn't know it, but it was a very famous store and he said, 'You know what? I'll let her have this store and it'll keep her out of Saks Fifth Avenue and, you know, I'll save money, and then she'll be bored with it in six months.' I was there for nine and a half years. Every day. I learned how to merchandise. I learned how to gift wrap a little. ... I loved it. I gave it up when we moved to New York. [Then,] QVC approached me. We did three pieces of jewelry. Certainly not on this level. I had an hour show and they [gave] me three things to sell.

ANNA ZUCKERMAN: How'd you do?

KATHY HILTON: I sold out, and I remember my mom was dying, and she loved watching those shows. She'd get on the phone and order. She kept saying, 'You sold out!' Then, we moved to L.A., and I would go to Florida and do HSN, so I have that background, but I [also] have the retail background.

ANNA ZUCKERMAN: She's the boss lady. Early morning I get texts [from her saying], 'Okay. Where are we standing? When is this going to hit the shelves?' The message would come at 3:52 am.

KATHY HILTON: Oh, yes. Well, I work with Australia and [the] U.K. as well. So, [I'm up early]. There are times where I don't get sleep.

ANNA ZUCKERMAN: You sleep in between interviews. You just shut your eyes for a minute and that's your baby nap.

KATHY HILTON: The best is radio [interviews]. If we're in a hotel, I will go in the closet and [I'll] lay down with a pillow with my nightgown on, so I don't wake my husband. I'll do the interview and then I have a quick sip of coffee and I go right back to sleep when it's over. ...

ANNA ZUCKERMAN: I asked one of the makeup girls today. I was so tired this morning. It was 5:30 [am and she's] doing my makeup, and I said, 'Do you mind if I just fall asleep? I'll close my lids and you'll just draw eyeballs on top of my eyes, right?' We love the balance. It's the work. It's the fun.

KATHY HILTON: You made a great statement, though. What did you call it? You said...

ANNA ZUCKERMAN: ‘When you love something that you do you never have to work a day in your life.’ This is what we live by. You have to find something that you absolutely love and jewelry is my passion, and I've discovered that it's also Kathy's passion.

KATHY HILTON: Well, I think most women love jewelry.

THE RETAILITY: You'll be back for 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' this season. How does it feel?

KATHY HILTON: Yes, I think I'm allowed to say that. They did make that announcement. Yes, and I'm very excited, and we have a great group. I'm really very happy. [Being a 'friend of the show'] gives me an opportunity [to do other things] because I'm working on another show as well that two networks are all excited about. If I was a full-time housewife, I would not be able to do that. So, I have time to go and do other projects as well. I really enjoy it.

THE RETAILITY: Is it safe to say we will see a few Anna Zuckerman x Kathy Hilton pieces over the course of this next season?

KATHY HILTON: Well, it's all I wear or so...

ANNA ZUCKERMAN: Are we allowed to talk about the friendship bracelets that you gave [out]?

KATHY HILTON: Yeah, I had a lunch the other day, and there were two girls that I don't know as well, but they had to be invited, and I gave everybody a friendship bracelet. Afterwards, I thought, 'These are grown women [behaving like young girls]!' The way it's boxed, it's like you're on Rodeo Drive, and they were opening it [and looked shocked]...

ANNA ZUCKERMAN: Their reactions!

KATHY HILTON: I, at least, try to look somewhat reserved [when opening a gift]. I thought to myself after, 'Oh my goodness. The two girls! What if they think this is real?' ... Can you imagine them [thinking it's real diamonds]?

ANNA ZUCKERMAN: Is this something that will be watched by [RHOBH fans]?

KATHY HILTON: Yes. For sure.

ANNA ZUCKERMAN: A few things. A few little clues.

THE RETAILITY: What's next for the two of you?

ANNA: We're opening a store in Aspen.