Jean Michel Cousteau

When one of her personal designs caught the eye of a Europe-based Barneys buyer, Temple St. Clair went from studying art and literature in Florence to running a full-fledged fine jewelry line. Twenty-five years later, her eponymous line is sold in Bergdorf and Saks, and its signature rock crystal amulets remain a mainstay among the well-off boho crowd. The designer remains refreshingly independent in the corporate era, running the business with her husband and using her role as a well-known designer to benefit philanthropic causes both environmental and cultural. Later this month, her audience will expand way beyond uptown doyennes and the West Village gypset when Temple St. Clair for Target hits shelves on August 29. In anticipation of this milestone, we spoke with the designer on her Florentine roots, working with the retail giant, and why coral belongs in the ocean, not around your neck. Fashionista: Tell us about the early days of your main line.