There was always something a bit special about rummaging through my grandmother’s jewelry drawer when I was a child, picking through earlobe-numbing chunky studs and gaudy yet nostalgic clip-on earrings. The world felt infinite in my mother’s heels and my grandmother’s gold-knot jewelry when I was 10. For Heaven Mayhem founder Pia Mance, her late grandmother’s vintage jewelry isn’t just gold-plated goodness to put on with a little black dress on her way to cocktails with friends—it has grown into a multimillion-dollar empire.
You may have caught a glimpse of Heaven Mayhem, the jewelry and accessory line started by Mance in 2022, on your feed, whether it be on the ears of your college best friends or your celebrity parasocial besties. Hailey Bieber, Matilda Djerf, Aimee Song, and Justine Skye are all fans, so naturally, the brand has only blown up in the last few years thanks to its massive star backing and viral-worthy covets on social media. Before Heaven Mayhem was Heaven Mayhem, though, Mance started off the same as all of us: slowly going through her mother’s and grandmother’s old things.
“Growing up, I loved going through my mum’s closet and rummaging through her clothes, shoes, tights, but I was always very drawn toward the accessory selection, as she held on to a lot of my late grandmother’s pieces from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s,” Mance tells me. “Those pieces weren’t designer or anything, but they were all so well-made, timeless, and special to me. To be able to create similar pieces like that, which I really resonate with, holds a special meaning in my heart.”
