Long before mastering her craft at the design of custom purses, handbags, and accessories, Taryn Miller worked with curating art for some of the most style-conscious clients in the world.

Now bringing her knowledge of art and collecting to the craft in her atelier, Taryn is looking forward to creating something timeless for you.

Raised in a small town at the base of the Sierra Nevada mountains. As a young girl I was fascinated by jewelry and fashion and looked forward to family trips to San Francisco or Los Angeles.

My Father and Brothers would attend sporting events, mom and I would go school cloth shopping I. Magines, Roos Atkins, attend stage plays, shop at Gump’s and Shreve & Co and attend events at the DeYoung Museum.

My Grandfather Henry Berrum, born and raised a Native of Nevada, Cattle Rancher and Nevada State Senator, was a great influence in my life we learned how to take care of cattle as we would drive them from the ranch in Gardnerville, NV to Charity Valley or Hope Valley. Traveling to San Francisco he made sure we went to Shreve & Co., where we learned about the great sliver designers from Georg Jensen, Shreve & Co., Wallace as well as crystal designers from Lalique, Daum, and Waterford.

He also made sure that my mother continued her design education, as she was a excellent seamstress winning the International Woolrich Wool Content when she was in college.

After graduation I attended Arizona State University, majoring in pre-law and working at the Nevada Supreme Court during my summers as a legal intern for the Chief Justice.

In my junior year I had the realization that law was not for me that summer when I returned home. Trying to figure out my next career move, I started talking to Leonard Ludel, who owned a diamond cutting school in my hometown, he discouraged me as it was mostly a man’s world in New York City or overseas in Belgium.

This industry really peaked my interest in returning to Arizona State, my major was Criminal Justice, in working with my counselor, we added several art history and international business classes into my curriculum.

As my senior year started I knew that law was not for me so every time I came home I would visit Leonard Ludel and finally he stated to me if you want to get into this business, you will need to attend The Gemological Institute in San Moncia, CA.

The Gemological Institute (GIA) was founded in 1931, is the world’s foremost authority on diamonds, colored stones, and pearls. A public benefit, nonprofit institute, GIA is the leading source of knowledge, standards, and education in gems and jewelry.

1981 I enrolled in the Graduate Gemologist and graphic design program, graduating in 1983 (tm to review diploma). Upon graduation I moved to Richmond, VA to work for Schwarzschild Jewelers as a gemologist in their appraisal department. On of the departments within the store was the antique and estate department, which really excited me based on my degree in Art History, loved learning about architecture, paintings, fashion and jewelry as they all tell a story.

Moving so far away from home my family started pulling on my heart strings and I started working with corporate, Henry Birks Canada, as they owned Shreve & Co in San Francisco and I was excited to open up and antique and estate department. They also owned Shreve, Crump & Low in Boston, and JE Caldwell in Philadelphia. The most historic jewelry stores in the US. So, by 1998 I was the director of Antique and Estate Jewelry department with all of the Henry Birks Jewelry Stores in the US.

When the earthquake hit in San Francisco in 1989 this was my wake-up call as to what I wanted to do next. Working in the Estate and Antique Jewelry business I became very good friends with the director or Christies in New York. Christies offered me a job as the Director of Jewelry – West Coast living in LA to procure Jewelry for the auction house, which included all of the States west of the Mississippi.

I would go to NYC every 4 months to help with the upcoming auctions as well as conduct pre-view jewelry items for the upcoming auction throughout the US.

My interest in jewelry designers became more of a driving force. I made the decision to move to Boston, MA, and work for Skinners Auction House. The director of the jewelry department which specializes in one-of-a-kind contemporary and historical designers (i.e.: Castellani and Giuliano, Louis Comfort Tiffany, Edward Oaks, Salvador Dali and Alexander Calder).

Learning about painters who also created jewelry pushed me to create a program for the adult learning center in Boston. Which lead me to make my next move back on the west coast. Director of Butterfield & Butterfield Auction House in San Francisco.

In 2001 my good friend Bob Luciano, Owner of Sierra Design Group (SDG), slot machine manufacturer, was working on a slot machine called Raining Diamonds, which dispensed jewelry. So coming back closer to home was the right move for me as I curated all the jewelry in New York for the Raining Diamonds Game, an extremely successful theme 65,000 pieces of jewelry were given away as the jackpots.

I have been with the company for 25 years through many different names; Bally Gaming, Scientific Games, and now Light & Wonder. As my years in the gaming business have been really exciting, I know retirement is in my future, and I wanted to get back to one of my loves handbags!

Every year I look at what fashion trends are happening, and I also come back to the classics, Hermes Birkin Bag, Channel, Gucci and Bottega Veneta. Which are some of my favorites. So instead of investing in those brands, I decided to learn the art of leathercrafting, so that I could make something uniquely mine. Beatrice Amblard, owner of April in Paris whom I had purchased several items from her throughout the years.

She worked in France for Hermes, before moving to San Francisco. Beatrice opened, April in Paris and also her leather school, Amblard Leather Atelier to teach the craft of leatherwork, by hand. I enrolled into the program and graduated in 2024. Upon graduation I decided to open up Taryn Miller Atelier.