Life & Work with Ronit Heimanson of Malibu

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ronit Heimanson.

Hi Ronit, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m a mother of three – first. Two girls and a boy, they are grown now but will always be my babies. I’ve always been creative, as long as I can remember myself. I got a college degree in kinesiology because it was “practical”, then got another degree in merchandise marketing from FIDM. My creativity found its way into homemaking, as I was a young mother, flower arranging, decorating, creating beauty in everyday life.

The first piece of jewelry I designed came during my divorce. I was going to Burning Man and made myself a pair of earrings, because I wanted something cool and authentically me. Today they are the Rising Sun Hoops in the Malibu Soul Collection. I had no idea that design would become the anchor of what’s now Malibu Soul Fine Jewelry, but something shifted when I made those hoops. I realized I could create something tangible and beautiful, even during one of the hardest times of my life.

I took a break after that, lots to juggle with young kids at home as a single mom, but I came back to jewelry design with renewed passion now that I have the time and the confidence to take on this challenge. This time it wasn’t just about making something for myself, it was about channeling everything I love about where I live into heirloom quality pieces that other women could wear and pass down.

Growing up in LA living in Malibu was always a dream. I have been coming to Malibu for years and now I get to live here. Malibu life informs everything I create. The ocean, the light, the way casual luxury feels here. That’s what I’m trying to capture in 18k solid gold. Pieces you can wear barefoot on the beach or dressed up for dinner. That magical, iconic Malibu energy. The laid-back but luxurious, effortless but intentional.

I am teaching myself the business side. I got some great recommendations from my community of creatives here in Malibu. I am working with LA manufacturers, working on understanding wholesale structures, and bootstrapping everything as I go.

This year, Roseark picked up my collection, which felt like confirmation that what resonates with me resonates with others too.

I’m also writing about my journey. I want to share the challenges, the rebuilding of a life not just a business, what I’ve learned about coming home to myself. There’s a book in the works, hopefully a podcast down the line. But right now, my focus is Malibu Soul Fine Jewelry. I am learning how to communicate the lifestyle and magic of this iconic place through jewelry that lasts.

I want my children to see that creativity isn’t frivolous. I want to show them it’s how we make meaning, how we rebuild, how we create beauty even when life is hard. That’s the real story behind every piece I make.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, it hasn’t been smooth. I got divorced young, and then during COVID I was in a relationship that could have destroyed me. Instead it made me the strongest I’ve ever been. I learned to trust myself. I learned that no one was going to hand me my independence, not in spirit and not in the practical sense of the word. I was going to have to claim it for myself.
So I bootstrapped this business. I found my amazing assistant and co-pilot on Handshake, and together we’ve built out the graphics, the website, everything. Just the two of us, no help, no big team. Two months after my launch, I finally left that challenging relationship and started again. I moved, I stayed in Malibu where my younger daughter goes to school. I love Malibu, it’s my home now. And I know for sure that life only works for you when you work with it, when you flow with it, not when you fight it.

The relationships that matter most to me are in place. My kids, my ex-husband – the father of my children, my brother and his family, my parents. Health and family is wealth. When I focused on that, I cleared the way for my creativity to flourish. When you stop fighting what is and start building from where you actually are, that’s when things start to move.
It hasn’t been smooth, but it’s been real. And that matters more.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a fine jewelry designer and certified divorce coach. Two paths that might seem different but are deeply connected by the same core belief. It is that we can create beauty and meaning from life’s hardest chapters. The transitions, the rock bottoms is often times where the beauty lives, the growth and expression happens.

With Malibu Soul Fine Jewelry, I’m designing jewelry that’s meant to stand the test of time. Pieces that I believe will become heirlooms, not trends. Pieces that are iconic, like what inspires them, Malibu. The vision is to build an iconic California brand rooted in the Malibu coast, the gold coast, a specific sense of place and beauty. Every piece is intentionally crafted in 18k solid gold to marry casual and formal beauty, elegant enough for life’s most important moments but timeless enough to wear every day. My work is now carried at Roseark in LA, and I’m building a brand that honors both the legacy we inherit and the one we’re actively creating. Being from LA, having my line at Roseark was a major moment for me. Especially since it came so soon in the growth of the brand. Roseark is one of the IYKYK places.

I’m most proud of is building this entirely on my own after a difficult life transition. Bootstrapping the business, learning luxury retail, and creating a brand with authentic margins and integrity. I wanted to prove to myself that I could create something beautiful and lasting that was completely mine.

What sets me apart is that I’m not just designing jewelry. I’m creating tangible reminders of intentional living, strength, and resilience. My story is real, I lived it, I live it. I didn’t go to fancy design school. I worked trough artistry and passion that was inside of me – and am self taught. My clients aren’t just buying a beautiful piece from me. They’re investing in something that represents who they’re becoming and what they want to leave behind.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
LA has my heart. I wasn’t born in Los Angeles, but I’ve lived here since I was 8 years old, and I won’t tell you how old I am now. I grew up by the water, and I cannot imagine living anywhere that doesn’t have a body of water close by. I love that living in LA you are by the ocean and by the mountains. You can hike, you can ski, you can do it all in this city. The endless possibilities. Obviously it has changed a lot over the years and the traffic in town stresses me out, but I love that I’m 45 minutes away from the accessibility of all things LA while living in Malibu.

What I like least is the traffic, hands down. Getting into town can be stressful, but it’s a small price to pay for living where I do. I’ve learned to be strategic about timing and embrace the slower pace of coastal living as much as possible.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.malibusoulfinejewelry.com
• Instagram: @ronitheimanson @malibusoulfinejewelry