ROBERT DOWNEY JNR and his drug problems, late-night calls from assorted celebrities, temper tantrums ... When Hollywood finally took its toll on manager Loree Rodkin, she handed her company over to her secretary and went into the jewellery business.
'I used to design jewellery to keep myself awake at night,' says Rodkin, who managed the likes of Brad Pitt, Sarah Jessica Parker and Downey.
'Robert Downey had a catastrophic drug problem at the time and it was just getting boring for me to rescue him,' she says. 'The jewellery I did on the side really started to take off. One day, one of my actors called when I was on vacation in Paris, whining down the phone at 4am, 'My limo didn't show up!' And I said, 'Oh really? That's a pity', and I decided there and then to quit.
'I just did jewellery after that and it's developed beyond my wildest dreams.'
Although she didn't launch her line until she was in her 30s, Rodkin (who's now in her late 40s) says jewellery has always been her passion.
'I started designing when I was 13. My mother would give me a gift every year for my birthday, and I'd hate it. She'd be so annoyed.' Eventually, she told Rodkin to design her own gift. She put her in contact with the family jeweller and gave her a budget. 'It was so much fun for me. I got to be creative, but I never thought I'd make a living out of this. Making jewellery was just a hobby.'
Chicago-born Rodkin hasn't always been so sure of her future. After high school she moved to New York to study filmmaking, but after 21/2 years she had a change of plan. She followed her then boyfriend, Don Henley of the Eagles, to southern California, where she became an interior designer. She quickly made a name, working on the homes of celebrities such as Rod Stewart.
In 1979, ballet dancer Alexander Godunov convinced her to represent him and a few years later Rodkin found herself with 25 actors on her books.
But after Hollywood took its toll, she turned to jewellery full-time in 1989. She started out small, selling her men's and women's collections to upmarket boutique Maxfield in Los Angeles, before expanding to stores in Europe and Asia. She's now a household name in Hollywood for her gothic- inspired jewellery. Her collection has attracted celebrities such as Nicole Kidman, Sharon Stone, Elton John, and Madonna. Good friend Cher is often pictured wearing her pieces.
Today, business is booming worldwide. The latest on her list is Lane Crawford, which starts selling her designs this month. In addition to a 3,000sqft store in Tokyo's trendy Ginza shopping district, Rodkin has 12 in-store boutiques in Japan.
'I'm a rock star in Japan,' she says. 'I don't know why, but I am.' The rock star within is evident from her style. She usually wears black leather and dark makeup and sports black hair, although her jewellery isn't entirely rock'n'roll.
'I encompass a lot of historical periods in my jewellery,' she says. 'It's modern meets medieval with a twist. I do two collections every year, and I combine diamonds and leather, pearls and gold with fossils, wood or bone. I made skull jewellery popular in 1989. I've always had them in my collections. They're a celebration of life. It's about the bad girl in all of us. Everybody has that inner rock star. There are no rules in designing - and, if there are, they're meant to be broken.'
Rodkin cites architecture, art and vintage fabrics among her sources of inspiration. Her latest collection was inspired by the 1960s and features her medieval-modern twist. The pieces are embellished by hand and the line includes her signature amulets and rings set with diamonds in white and yellow gold.
'The collection is called Decay. I wanted it to look like bits are falling off. There are several layers on each piece.'
After Hong Kong, Rodkin is off to Moscow, which is one of her biggest markets. She says she doesn't mind the constant travelling, which is all part of her plan to create a lifestyle empire.
'Besides designing my jewellery lines, I've created 20 styles of skin bags, in crocodile, ostrich and snake skin. I'm also doing perfume and candles, and launching eyewear. I don't know how I manage. I seem to have no free time. I'm designing a house right now, and I'm trying to find out when I'll sleep. Sleep is overrated. I can do that when I'm dead. I'm a control freak. It would be hard to let anyone design for me.
'I want to expand with everything I'm doing. Home and fashion will be the concept eventually. I'd love to do leather coats. I'm a leather addict. Maybe I'll do shoes as well. But when I think about it ... I don't even have a five-minute plan. I go wherever the day takes me.'
As for her plans in Asia, Rodkin has her sights set on the mainland. 'Shanghai will be the location for my next store,' she says. 'I have an affinity with Asia. I love Tokyo, Bali and Hong Kong. These places are cutting edge and very passionate.
'I think there's something very sexy about Hong Kong,' she says. 'Things are constantly changing. It used to be only about diamonds and the size of your diamond. I think that women are becoming much more fashion forward and they appreciate jewellery.'
