After her initial experimentation, Stephanie went on to pierce her own ears before, at the age of 17, she took a job working in a local piercing shop and began piercing others. She exhibited an acumen for the craft immediately, and as she gained a more comprehensive understanding of the human body, she continued to perfect her technique. In 2012, Stephanie and her husband moved to Los Angeles where they fully immersed themselves in its thriving culture. She took a job in a prestigious studio, amassing a loyal client-base which included some of the biggest names in Hollywood, before she and her husband took a leap of faith and opened their own studio, Royal Heritage Tattoo and Piercing, on Venice’s famed Abbot Kinney Boulevard.

A trailblazer in her industry, Stephanie not only worked her way to prominence in a very male-dominated field, she has also made innovations in the artform. Stephanie is extremely attuned to the empowering effects of body piercing, and in working with her clients, she takes a collaborative approach so that they can achieve the results they seek by way of how they want to both look and feel. This resulted in Stephanie developing custom pieces that were crafted in precious metals and gems that could be safely used in piercing. Demand for these one-off pieces, which she taught herself to create at a workbench in her tiny, studio apartment, continued to grow, ultimately prompting the launch of her fine jewelry collection, Stephanie Anders XO.

Stephanie’s unique approach to jewelry design is couched in her life-long passion for body modification and her unwavering sense of curiosity is a driving force in evolving her expertise at the bench. Her understanding of anatomy gives her “more available real estate” to adorn, and the precision inherent in exceptional body piercing is reflected in the clean lines and symmetry of her silhouettes. She also showcases a keen understanding of fine jewelry’s ability to evoke an attitude or a feeling, and she designs with those powers in mind.

“My mission here is pretty simple and straightforward,” she explained in a recent Instagram post. “I want to truthfully represent each individual in the pieces I make for them. I want their jewelry to be a reflection of their soul when they wear it. For me to ignite their confidence and inspiration, and for them to wear it with unapologetic, unwavering conviction.”