I first met Ashley Moubayed at a Misha & Puff dinner at Tashca in Nolita. As we struck up a conversation, I could immediately tell she was the kind of person whose impeccable taste feels completely intuitive. I also noticed she was wearing the most incredible jewelry, which she made herself.
Moubayed is the founder of the handmade beaded jewelry line Don't Let Disco—a play on the phrase "don't let this go." As we were chatting, she invited me to a summer gifting suite at her Brooklyn studio to see her latest collection in person.
Looking through the designs, every piece felt thoughtful and intentional. For example, the necklace I ended up taking home was made with fully charged rock crystals inspired by Victorian "pools of light" jewelry. It's statement jewelry, but it never feels trendy. What I love most is that each piece feels more like a work of art than an accessory—special and one of a kind. It instantly becomes a prized possession. While I tried on different necklaces, Moubayed referred to one as "art teacher jewelry," a term she tells me was coined by Veronica Szálas Valentine. The description immediately clicked, perfectly capturing the aesthetic.
Before launching her own company, the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund 2025 Finalist spent years working in the art world herself, most recently as a director at Sotheby's. With an Instagram bio that reads "Collector & Curator of Beads," Don't Let Disco feels like a natural extension of that background. After I met Moubayed, it became clear that it's more than just a brand. It's an artistic practice.
I spoke with the designer about her label, her design process, personal style, jewelry trends, and the pieces she's currently loving most.
I saw you worked as a director at Sotheby's before launching Don't Let Disco. I'd love to hear more about your background and career path before the brand.
Before launching Don't Let Disco, I spent several years at Sotheby's, where I worked closely with collectors, artists, and objects that carried incredible histories. It taught me a lot about provenance, craftsmanship, and the emotional reasons people hold on to things. I had always been making jewelry alongside my career, and over time, I realized I wanted to build something of my own. Don't Let Disco grew from that desire and from a fascination with objects that carry memory, history, and personal meaning.
You founded Don't Let Disco in 2021. What prompted that? What drew you to pursuing jewelry and beads?
Don't Let Disco started very intuitively in 2021. I've always been drawn to objects that carry history, and beads, in particular, felt like these small units of memory. You can build with them, but they also each have their own identity. I began working with vintage and found materials quite organically, and it became less about making jewelry in a traditional sense and more about building small compositions that felt personal and collectible. Over time, that practice became the foundation for the brand.
How do your art-historian perspective and fine art background influence the brand? Are there particular artists, movements, or references that inspire you and that you find yourself always returning to?
My background in the art world really shaped how I think about objects and meaning. Working around art and collectibles taught me to pay attention to provenance, context, and the emotional weight things can carry over time. I'm especially drawn to objects and movements where material and memory feel intertwined. I'm less interested in fixed references and more in that idea of an object holding time, whether it's a found material, a vintage bead, or something that's been repurposed into a new context within the work.
How would you describe your personal style, and do you find that informs your label?
My personal style is pretty instinctive and built around contrast. I'm usually drawn to classic foundations, but I like to interrupt that with something more unexpected—texture, proportion, or a piece of jewelry that shifts the tone of the whole look. If I had to describe it in three words, I'd say considered, textural, and instinctive. That same tension shows up in Don't Let Disco, where pieces feel refined but still a bit undone, with the materials and composition doing most of the storytelling.
Can you walk me through your design process when creating a new piece? Does it change each time, or are there recurring starting points?
My process is very material-led and rarely starts the same way twice. I usually begin with a group of vintage beads, found objects, or stones and spend time just looking at how they relate to each other, what feels balanced, what creates tension, what wants to sit together naturally. From there, I start building intuitively rather than sketching something fixed, adjusting as I go based on proportion, color, and feel. There's always a dialogue with the materials. I try not to force them into a predetermined idea but instead respond to what they're already suggesting.
You use globally crafted beads, upcycled materials, and found objects. Can you tell me about your sourcing process?
My sourcing process is quite instinctive and ongoing. I'm constantly looking at vintage beads, antique jewelry, and found materials—often through dealers, small archives, or independent sources I've built relationships with over time. I'm drawn to things that already feel like they've lived a life, whether that's slight irregularity in a bead, patina on a surface, or something that feels singular rather than overly produced. From there, it's about choosing materials that feel like they belong in the same conversation, even if they come from very different places or time periods.
If you could retire one jewelry trend forever, what would it be?
I'm not a big trend follower in general, but I do struggle with how normalized plated jewelry with very high markups has become. There's nothing wrong with plating, but I think there should be more transparency around materials and longevity. I'm always more interested in pieces that are honestly made with materials that are meant to last and age well.
You also host beading bars. What are they, and how did that idea come about?
The beading bars started pretty organically from how people were already interacting with the brand. I wanted to create a space where people could actually sit with the materials and make something themselves, even in a simple way, rather than just seeing the finished object. It's really about giving people a reason to slow down and work with their hands again—especially in a moment where so much of life is digital and screen-based—and letting them understand the process through doing.
What's next for Don't Let Disco? Is there anything you're working on or hoping for that you can share?
We launched our first fine jewelry collection during February's New York Fashion Week, which has been a big step for us and really feels like an expansion of the language we've been building with beads and found materials. Right now, we're focused on growing that category in a really considered way. We're also expanding the Dumbo studio into more of a living space for the brand, where we can host events, beading bars, and more direct community moments alongside the work itself.
Do you have any early, formative jewelry memories? I saw you mention your mother's 22-karat gold bangles in an interview.
I do. My mother's 22‑karat bangles are the first. The sound of them clinking together was a kind of homing device for me, comforting and familiar and a way to locate her in a room. My grandmother was the other big influence. She had a friend who was a jewelry designer in the '70s, and she would commission these cool, sometimes avant‑garde rings made from yellow- and white-gold scrap. She wore them everywhere, even just to the grocery store. They were part of her beauty ritual and her identity. Even when she got sick, right before she passed, she would still put them on for a photo. They made her feel like herself, and that, to me, is the power of objects: jewelry with real soul.
What's the most complimented piece you own?
Right now, it is our Deco Ring. People of all genders go crazy for it. It walks this line between antique art deco and contemporary design, made in 18k yellow and white gold with natural brilliant white diamonds, and the yellow bands are set with champagne diamonds, so they have this warm, "lit from within" glow. They stack beautifully with almost anything but also hold their own as a single statement. They are chunky and weighty in the best way, with a soft square profile. People are constantly sliding them off my fingers to play, stack, and find their own combinations.
Do you have any go-to tips for styling your jewelry?
It is very intuitive for me, so it is hard to codify, but I always think the starting point is how a piece makes you feel. If you put something on and you feel like your most "you" self, pay attention to what you love about that piece, whether it is the proportion, the color, or the texture, and use that as your North Star as you add more. Do not rush or force it. Let your jewelry wardrobe build slowly, in conversation with your life.
You've referred to some pieces as "art teacher jewelry." Can you elaborate on that? Why do you think this aesthetic is resonating right now?
The term was actually coined by Veronica Szálas Valentine, and I loved it immediately. To me, it captures this spirit of expressive, slightly eccentric pieces that feel lived‑in and deeply personal—exactly the kind of jewelry an art teacher might wear as an extension of their identity. I think it is resonating now because we are having a kind of renaissance after the dullness of quiet luxury, where everything was policed into beige, black, and white. People are craving color, quirk, and bolder statements again, pieces that signal who they are and maybe even inspire the people around them.
What jewelry brands, designers, or smaller online shops are exciting you right now? Where do you typically discover new jewelry designers?
I am very in love with Cece Jewellery. Their enamel work carries this sweet, romantic whimsy that feels distinct from so much of what is out there. Goodluck Handmade by Hannah [Weber] is a geometric wonder of incredible inlay work, and Octave Jewelry is another favorite to follow. Ope [Omojola] brings you right to the bench as she sets and carves stones, and watching that transformation is endlessly satisfying. Reut [Ringel] continues to inspire me with her ability to turn 18k gold into this rich, blackened tone. Her pieces feel deeply sensual and sculptural. Sara Katherine Jacobson is doing wild, brilliant things with form and pushing the boundaries of what playful design can look like, and I am completely captivated by the mind and eye of Sophie Gardner. I also adore EliBurch Jewelry.
I tend to discover many of these designers through friends or friends of friends, and I really value that sense of community. I am always drawn to artists who are not just producing for the sake of being a creative director but who are genuinely thinking, experimenting, and making work that feels fresh.
What are some items on your wish list at the moment?
At the top of the list is simply the time to turn our Deco Ring into mismatched huggies. I can see them so clearly. I am also dreaming about a Jade Ruzzo Lady Compact Mirror necklace from her latest collection. One of Sara Jacobson's gold orbs with a precious gemstone would be incredible paired with our DLD reimagined Victorian "pools of light" orbs. Honestly, anything from TenThousandThings is always on my mind. And there is a tiny artwork by jewelry designer and artist Andrea Gutierrez—crossed hands wearing a real beaded necklace with precious metals worked into the scene—at Lane Stewart Gallery that I cannot stop thinking about.
Do you have any jewelry trend predictions for summer? Looking ahead, what do you think we'll see this fall?
I think color is undeniably back, joyful and unapologetic. I am also seeing and loving the return of super-long necklaces and the idea of jewelry that migrates, pieces that travel from your neck, arms, and ears into your home and objects. I imagine more adornment on things like door tassels, decorative cigarette boxes, and chairs—little extensions of jewelry energy spilling into the rest of your space.
Shop Moubayed's Favorites
Shop More Jewlery
