Businesses have abandoned its once-thriving downtown. Its retail and office vacancy rates are among the highest in Los Angeles County. The crowds that previously packed the area surrounding the city’s famous pier have dwindled.
Homelessness has risen. City officials acknowledge crime incidents had become more visible and volatile.
The breadth and depth of the issues became apparent just last month when the city was forced to declare itself in fiscal distress after paying $229 million in settlements related to alleged sexual abuse by Eric Uller, a former city dispatcher.
Now, Santa Monica is trying to plot a new path forward. A significant first step could come Tuesday.
That’s when the City Council is set to consider a plan to reverse its fortunes.
A shuttered business on Broadway in Santa Monica.
(David Butow/For The Times)
The plan includes significantly increasing police patrols and enforcing misdemeanor ordinances, investing in infrastructure and new community events, and taking a more business-friendly brush to permits and fees. Officials also plan to be more aggressive in making sure property owners maintain unused properties.
The blueprint tackles many “quality of life” issues that critics say have contributed to lower foot traffic in the city’s tourist districts since the COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s far from clear the tactics will work. But given the city’s current trajectory, officials say bold action is necessary.
“We’re trying to usher in a rebirth — a renaissance of the city — by investing in ourselves,” Councilmember Dan Hall said.
Hall, 38, is part of a relatively youthful City Council majority that swept into office in recent years as voters opted for new leadership and a fresh approach. Five of the seven council members are millennials, and six members first joined the council in either 2022 or 2024.
Also new on the scene is City Manager Oliver Chi, who five months ago was hired away from the same position in Irvine.
“The city is in a period of distress, for sure,” said Chi, 45. “We’re not in a moment where the city is broke. The city still has resources. … But right now, if we do nothing, the city’s general fund operating budget is projected to run a structural deficit of nearly $30 million a year, and that’s because we’ve seen big drops” in revenues, such as from hotel taxes, sales tax and parking.
“But part of that is the private sector hasn’t been investing in the city. And we haven’t had people traveling to the city,” Chi said.
Santa Monica is far from the only city — in California or nationwide — to face the pain of a downtown in decline. Brick-and-mortar retailers have long bled business to online offerings, and the pandemic upended the cadence of daily life that was the lifeblood of commercial districts, with many people continuing to work from home at least part of the week.
Birds fly over and people walk on the Santa Monica Pier.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
But the hope is through concerted, planned investment that Santa Monica can shine once again and modernize to be competitive in the postpandemic era.
The City Council had already decided to set aside $60 million from its cash reserves to spend over the next four or five years to cover any operating deficits. But with Tuesday’s vote, Santa Monica would instead use those dollars as an investment in hopes of getting the city back on track.
“Those things really are issues related to public safety, disorder in town, the disrepair that we’ve seen in our infrastructure,” Chi said. “All of those things are preventing, I think, confidence in the local economy.”
In downtown, the city’s plan would include doubling the number of police officers assigned to a specialized unit to at least eight to 10 a day, deploying an additional five patrol officers daily, creating a new police substation, adding two workers daily to address homelessness issues, and hiring eight public safety employees to provide a more constant presence across the city’s main commercial district, parks and parking garages.
Staff in the city attorney’s office would also be augmented to boost the ability to prosecute misdemeanor cases.
An unhoused man naps on a bench in Palisades Park.
(David Butow / For The Times)
Also on the agenda: moving the city’s homeless shelter out of downtown; making a one-time $3.5-million investment to address fraying sidewalks and streets and freshen up trees and trash cans; funding monthly events at the Third Street Promenade to attract crowds; creating a large-scale “Santa Monica Music Festival” next year; upgrading restrooms near the pier and Muscle Beach; and increasing operating days for libraries.
Another proposal would require the owners of vacant properties to register with the city, in hopes of addressing lots that remain in disrepair.
The city is also looking to be more business friendly. It’s seeking to upgrade the current permit process, utilizing artificial intelligence to get nearly instantaneous permit reviews for single-family homes and accessory dwelling units, as well as reduce permit fees for restaurants with outdoor dining.
The plan also outlines strategies to boost revenue. Santa Monica is poised to end its contract with a private ambulance operator, McCormick Ambulance, in February and move those operations in house.
“It’s going to cost roughly $2.8 million a year to stand that operation up. But the reality is, once we start running it, it’ll generate about $7 million a year in new ongoing revenues,” Chi said.
“That’s part of what we’re thinking through: How do we invest now in order to grow our revenue base moving ahead?” he said.
Parking rates are also going up, which city officials estimate should generate $8 million to $9 million in additional annual revenue — though officials say they still charge a lower rate than those of nearby cities.
The city also plans more traffic safety enforcement and will cut the current 90 minutes of free parking in downtown parking structures to 30 minutes.
There’s also been talk of a new city parcel tax, though no decision has yet been made to pursue that. A parcel tax would need voter approval.
Another priority is building back the city’s cash reserves, which have dwindled over the years, largely on account of legal payments. Eight years ago, Santa Monica had $436 million in cash reserves; today, there’s only $158 million in nonrestricted reserves.
The planned $60 million in spending would further reduce the city’s unobligated cash down to $98 million.
Santa Monica’s annual general fund operating budget is nearly $800 million a year.
Beachgoers enjoying the scene near the Santa Monica Pier.
(David Butow/For The Times)
The city is also looking to redevelop some of its underutilized properties, including a 2.57-acre parcel bounded by Arizona Avenue and 4th and 5th streets, which includes branches of Bank of America and Chase bank, the leases of which are expected to expire in a few years. Also being eyed are a 1.09-acre kiss-and-ride lot southeast of the Santa Monica light rail station; the city’s seismically vulnerable Parking Structure 1 on 4th Street, which sits on 0.75 of an acre; and the old Fire Station No. 1, which sits on 0.34 of an acre and is being used for storage.
No firm plans are in place just yet. The parcels could be sold, leased long term or redeveloped as part of a joint venture. One likely possibility is that the developments would include new housing.
“When you look at any revitalization effort of any vibrant downtown core that’s eroded, there’s always been an element of repopulating the area with people,” Chi said. A smart redevelopment plan for those properties will not only “hopefully help bring back vibrancy to the downtown, but also help replenish the city’s cash reserves.”
The seeds of downtown Santa Monica’s decline actually started before the pandemic. But COVID hit the city hard, and commercial vacancies rose significantly, Councilmember Caroline Torosis, 39, said.
Santa Monica also sustained damage in 2020 from rioters who swarmed the downtown area in what appeared to be an organized attack amid a protest meant to decry the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Tourists never came back in the numbers they had before the pandemic.
Torosis said the new council majority was elected on a promise to boost economic activity in the city.
“We need to absolutely ensure that people feel safe, welcome, invited and included in our city,” said Torosis, who serves as mayor pro tem.
Hall called the plan a bold bet.
“What we’re trying to do here is move us away from a scarcity mind-set, where we’re nickel-and-diming businesses trying to stay open, restaurants trying to open a parklet, residents trying to build an ADU,” Hall said.
The council’s relative youth, he said, is a plus for a city trying to write a bright new chapter.
“I think that that’s something that millennials are finding themselves needing to do as we take ownership of society, and we see a world where past generations have been afraid to make mistakes or afraid to make decisions,” he said.
Brandy and Monica, the once-feuding stars of R&B, are singing each others’ praises after their reunion tour hit an unexpected hurdle over the weekend.
Singer-actor Brandy sent virtual flowers to “my sister, Monica, for stepping up with such grace and professionalism” as she explained her abrupt exit from the duo’s Chicago concert on Saturday. The “Cinderella” star, 46, turned heads at the Chicago’s United Center when she walked off stage mid-performance, according to video shared by TMZ, leaving Monica to finish performing their Grammy-winning hit “The Boy Is Mine,” solo.
“I sincerely apologize for the abrupt end to last night’s performance in Chicago. After weeks of nonstop rehearsals, last night I experienced dehydration and feelings of wanting to faint,” Brandy said in an Instagram statement shared Sunday. “Everyone involved agreed that prioritizing my well-being was of the utmost importance.”
The “Afrodisiac” artist explained that it was her decision to push forward with the concert, “despite not feeling OK.” Even after making “some adjustments,” Brandy said it was ultimately “impossible to fully connect sonically with the production.” The “Missing You” singer said she left the arena and was treated by a doctor and has “taken the proper precautions to help moving forward.”
Brandy and Monica announced their co-headlining Boy Is Mine tour in June and kicked off the shows Thursday in Cincinnati. They are set to perform at the Kia Forum on Nov. 9.
A day after her sudden walk-off, Brandy was back on stage Sunday with Monica at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. She shared photos from their latest gig to Instagram on Monday.
“You absolutely killed it last night @brandy,” Monica said in her Instagram story on Monday, reposting the singer’s photos.
Brandy and Monica embarked on their Boy Is Mine tour 27 years after releasing the namesake single in 1998. The singers, who shared a contentious relationship notably defined by an alleged altercation at the VMAs in 1998, earned a Grammy award for the hit.
Before launching their tour, Brandy and Monica had reunited several times for several projects, including a remix of their hit with Ariana Grande and a 2020 appearance on “Verzuz.” While promoting the tour in June, Monica told CBS Mornings that their feud “started as nothing and it really did turn into something.”
“There was a lot of confusion and conflict and there was a lot of people around,” she said, adding that she and Brandy were merely teenagers when their feud came to a head.
The Boy Is Mine tour continues Friday with a stop in Nashville and will conclude Dec. 14 at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.
Staff writer Julius Miller contributed to this report.
Santa Monica easily sits among the pantheon of iconic Southern California communities due to its combination of weather, beach backdrop, energy and friendliness.
Yet, that lore has been chipped away by sexual scandal, stagnation and, more recently, by another bubbling calamity.
How Santa Monica fell into this predicament and the measures it may take, including cutbacks, to remedy this situation are the focal points of their article.
Let’s take a look at their reporting.
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One man’s rampage
The city still faces 180 claims of sexual abuse by a former Santa Monica police dispatcher, a scandal that has already cost $229 million in settlement payouts.
Uller had been hired and continued to work with children despite a 1991 background check that revealed he had been arrested as a teen for molesting a toddler he baby-sat, according to a report reviewed by The Times.
On Tuesday, the city declared that it is in fiscal distress, a move that raised concerns among city workers that cuts, and perhaps layoffs, were coming.
“The financial situation the city is dealing with is certainly serious,” City Manager Oliver Chi said during Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
The worries among city workers reached such a peak that before Tuesday’s meeting Chi sent out an email to all city employees, trying to reassure them no layoffs were being planned.
Santa Monica’s recently approved budget for 2025-26 expects $473.5 million in revenue, but $484.3 million in costs, and city officials worry that the sexual abuse scandal could continue to put a drain on city coffers that are already reeling from an economic downturn.
More than just sex scandals
Current and former officials said the current financial woes were taking shape years ago.
“Santa Monica has failed to reign in unnecessary spending for a number of years, and we’ve known this financial crisis has been looming for a while,” said former Santa Monica Mayor Phil Brock, who lost his seat in the November election.
The city has faced a steep downturn in tourism and retail revenues, Brock said, along with several businesses that have left downtown and the promenade.
“You might have to right-side services, and look at areas where [the city] might be overstaffed,” he said. “I recommend we go back to basics.”
But the declaration voted on Tuesday instead called for a declaration of “fiscal distress,” which Chi said was meant more for the city to communicate its financial situation with other agencies, get help in seeking grants and other funding, and as a tool to work on a “realignment of city operations.”
One city official, who asked not to be named because they weren’t cleared to speak on the record, said employees remained skeptical of what steps the city would take, and whether it could mean cuts to their pay or benefits.
What steps exactly the city is set to take remain unclear.
Whatever happens next in Santa Monica, our reporters will be there to document. As for now, check out the full article.
The week’s biggest stories
(Julie Leopo/Julie Leopo / For The Times)
Trump administration policies and their reactions
Jimmy Kimmel suspension and protest
Crime, courts and policing
Infrastructure needs and upgrades
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Get wrapped up in tantalizing stories about dating, relationships and marriage.
Have a great weekend, from the Essential California team
Jim Rainey, staff writer Andrew J. Campa, reporter Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor Karim Doumar, head of newsletters Diamy Wang, homepage intern Izzy Nunes, audience intern
Good morning, and welcome to L.A. on the Record — our City Hall newsletter. It’s Noah Goldberg, with an assist from David Zahniser, giving you the latest on city and county government.
Los Angeles City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez does not run. As in, she is not a runner.
So why did she post an Instagram reel on a new personal account Tuesday of herself inside a Foot Locker, asking a salesperson for recommendations for a running shoe?
“I am an avid precinct walker,” Rodriguez said in an interview with The Times on Tuesday, hours after she posted the reel. “I needed a pair of new shoes — good supportive shoes for my run, and the announcements will be imminent.”
The North Valley councilmember bought the Cloud 6 On running shoes highlighted in the video. Now, rumors are flying around City Hall about what she may be considering running for — if not a marathon.
The three options being bandied about are a run to challenge Mayor Karen Bass in the upcoming 2026 election, a possible run for controller against Kenneth Mejia, or just a cheekily mysterious announcement of her reelection bid for her own council seat.
“It’s clear she’s weighing options which may include running for mayor against Mayor Bass,” said Sam Yebri, a lawyer who is board president of Thrive LA, a moderate PAC focused on quality-of-life issues in the city. (Yebri commented with a clapping hands emoji on Rodriguez’s Instagram post, and Thrive LA responded, “We’re ready!”)
Rodriguez would not say what her plans are for 2026, though she said that more social media posts will be forthcoming and that she is definitely running for something.
The councilmember has been a sharp critic of the mayor for years now. She has lambasted the mayor’s signature Inside Safe homelessness program, arguing that it lacks transparency. She has also repeatedly called for the council to end the mayor’s state of emergency on homelessness, even though she voted for it when it was first passed.
“We were supposed to get reports on what money was spent on. It took until 2024 that we were finally told how much Inside Safe was costing per room, per night,” Rodriguez said in an interview.
Rodriguez said she and other councilmembers had to fight to even get information released on where Inside Safe was conducting cleanup operations and where homeless residents were sent after the operations.
The councilmember also opposed the mayor’s ousting of Fire Chief Kristin Crowley following the January wildfires, saying that Bass used Crowley to deflect criticism of her own absence in Ghana at the start of the conflagrations. She also called on the mayor to reinstate Crowley.
“On Jan. 7, she was praising the fire chief and her response,” Rodriguez said at the time. “And then it appears, as the heat kicked up [over] her absence, she continued to try and attribute blame to someone else.”
Rodriguez was first elected in 2017 to the seventh district and was reelected in 2022.
If she were to announce a mayoral run, she would be Bass’ first major opponent.
There has also been speculation about Rick Caruso, the billionaire owner of the Grove shopping mall, potentially running against Bass again after losing to her last time, though he is also considering a bid for governor. Both he and Rodriguez are more conservative than Bass.
Rodriguez still has not filed for a reelection campaign for her seat, even as two others have joined the field.
“I know there were rumors she was considering a run for mayor. … So more or less, I’m seeing if she is going to run [for her council seat] or if she isn’t,” said Michael Ebenkamp, a former president of the North Hills Neighborhood Council who has filed to run for the District 7 council seat.
Rick Taylor, a political consultant, said that Rodriguez is interested in running for mayor but not likely to do it.
“She’s intrigued, don’t get me wrong. I just don’t think she’s going to pull the trigger,” he said.
A serious mayoral campaign is expensive, and Taylor said he doesn’t believe that Rodriguez can easily raise the $8 million to $10 million necessary to be a viable candidate.
“Monica is not Rick Caruso. She can’t put $100 million of her own in,” Taylor said. “I think most likely she will be councilwoman of the seventh district at the end of it all, but I think she’s keeping her options open.”
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State of play
— SUPREME DECISION: The Supreme Court ruled Monday that U.S. immigration agents can stop and detain anyone they believe is in the country illegally, even if that suspicion is based solely on a person’s job, the language they speak or the color of their skin. The justices voted 6-3 to lift an L.A. judge’s order that had barred “roving patrols” from grabbing people off SoCal streets.
— FLAME OUT: It was a late night surprise: L.A.’s mayor, working with former State Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg, persuaded several lawmakers to carry a bill rewriting Measure ULA, the so-called mansion tax. Bass and Hertzberg said the changes would boost housing production while also cutting off support for an anti-tax measure being prepared for the ballot next year. But just as suddenly, Bass pulled the plug, saying the proposal needed more work. The plan is to bring it back in January.
— TAKE A (WAGE) HIKE: The business group seeking to repeal the hotel and airport workers’ minimum wage hike via a ballot measure failed to gather enough signatures, city officials said. The L.A. Alliance for Tourism, Jobs and Progress hoped to get voters to roll back the ordinance passed by the City Council in May but fell short of getting the measure on the ballot by 9,000 signatures.
— HOUSING BILL MARCHES ON: The controversial housing bill that would override local zoning laws and allow high-density buildings near public transit continued its march toward law Thursday. The California Assembly passed SB79 in a 41-17 vote. On Friday, the Senate approved it, 21 to 8. Now, it needs only the governor’s signature to become law.
— CHIEF UPDATE: Bass has hired Mitch Kamin to be her third chief of staff in just under three years. Kamin, a lawyer who has fought the Trump administration and provided legal services for underserved communities, will replace Carolyn Webb de Macias.
— UNCONVENTIONAL PRICE: The price tag for renovating the Los Angeles Convention Center has ballooned again. The City Council was informed this week that the project will cost $2.7 billion — an increase of nearly $500 million from six months ago.
— SaMo MONEY MO’ PROBLEMS: The city of Santa Monica could soon declare a fiscal emergency due to an ongoing budget crisis, due in part to more than $200 million in legal payouts related to an alleged sexual abuser who worked for the Police Department.
— LESS ‘LESS-LETHAL’: A U.S. district judge extended restrictions Tuesday that block federal agents and LAPD officers from targeting reporters and nonviolent protesters with crowd control weapons often known as “less-lethal munitions.”
— CLERKED IN: Bass appointed Patrice Lattimore to be the new city clerk. Lattimore has been a chief management analyst for the Office of the City Clerk since 2018, overseeing administrative, budget and personnel functions.
— LEADERSHIP MERGER: Two leadership programs that have produced civic leaders across the state are merging. Coro Southern California and Coro Northern California are becoming, simply, Coro California. Alumni include former Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Sen. Alex Padilla and L.A. City Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky.
QUICK HITS
Where is Inside Safe? The mayor’s signature program was in Council District 9 this week, near the Brotherhood Crusade and an elementary school, clearing an encampment that was a safety concern for people in the area, the mayor’s office said.
On the docket next week: A report from the mayor on Lattimore’s appointment as city clerk will go before the government operations committee on Tuesday.
Stay in touch
That’s it for this week! Send your questions, comments and gossip to [email protected]. Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Saturday morning.
Nine-time Grand Slam champion Monica Seles has revealed she was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis – a neuromuscular autoimmune disease – three years ago.
The 51-year-old has chosen to go public with the rare long-term condition, which causes muscle weakness, to raise awareness before this month’s US Open.
Seles first noticed symptoms of the condition, which can affect most parts of the body – including the muscles that control the eyes, around five years ago.
“I would be playing [tennis] with some kids or family members, and I would miss a ball,” former world number one Seles told The Associated Press.
“I was like, ‘Yeah, I see two balls.’ These are obviously symptoms that you can’t ignore.
“It took me quite some time to really absorb it, speak openly about it, because it’s a difficult one. It affects my day-to-day life quite a lot.”
Seles decided to reveal her condition in the hope of using her platform to educate people about the disease, for which there is currently no cure.
The American won eight major titles by the age of 19, after capturing her first aged 16 at the 1990 French Open.
But she won just one more after she was stabbed with a knife by a fan during a match in Hamburg in 1993 and took time away from the sport to recover.
Seles played her last match in 2003 having won 53 tournaments and spent 178 weeks at number one.
The once-clashing R&B songstresses Brandy and Monica are back — together.
The titans announced their first-ever co-headlining tour, “The Boy Is Mine,” on Tuesday, paying homage to their 1998 hit of the same name. Kelly Rowland, Muni Long and recent “American Idol” winner Jamal Roberts are scheduled to appear as special guests along the road.
“This really is a full-circle moment,” Brandy said in a statement to Variety. “Monica and I coming together again isn’t just about the music — it’s about honoring where we came from and how far we’ve both come. ‘The Boy Is Mine’ was a defining chapter in R&B, and to share the stage all these years later is bigger than a reunion — it’s a celebration of growth, sisterhood, and the love our fans have given us from day one.”
She added that she recognized the love “The Boy Is Mine” still received, saying that the song “means everything to me.”
Upon its release, the song spent 13 weeks at No. 1. That was 27 years ago, and though the pair have been on “different journeys” since, they’ve come back together to give “the people what they’ve been asking for.”
“God’s timing perfectly aligned us,” Brandy said.
Presale for the tour begins on June 26, with general tickets going on sale on June 27. The run currently includes one Los Angeles-area show on Nov. 9 at the Kia Forum.
Brandy and Monica had a widely publicized fallout in 1998. Monica is said to have punched Brandy in the face just before they took the stage at that year’s MTV Video Music Awards to perform their hit single.
The duo was seen as a monumental combination of ‘90s talent, with both Brandy and Monica being lauded for their debut records. Brandy had already achieved RIAA platinum status with her eponymous album released in 1994 when she was just 15. “The Boy Is Mine” was an instant hit when it was released four years later, but the VMAs incident seemed to spawn acrimony.
Though both would remain in the music industry, Brandy would also pursue an acting career. The “Vocal Bible” took off following her role as the first African American actor to play Cinderella in 1997. More recently, she starred as a rapper in the ABC drama series “Queens” in 2021.
Monica’s 1995 debut, “Miss Thang,” went platinum when she was 14, but the singer largely remained out of the spotlight following the release of “Code Red” in 2015. She teased a pivot into the country music genre in 2022 with “Open Roads,” which she says was produced entirely by 10-time Grammy winner Brandi Carlile. Though she confirmed its completion in 2023, it has yet to be released.
After the kerfuffle in 1998, it wouldn’t be until 2012 that the two collaborated again on “It All Belongs to Me” and 11 years more before they worked on a remix of “The Boy Is Mine” for Ariana Grande. In 2021, Brandy and Monica appeared on “Verzuz,” a popular webcast series made by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland where two artists pit their best hits against each other.
The affair went down smoothly until about 30 minutes in, when Monica spoke of how she had come a long way from “kicking in doors” and “smacking chicks,” a (seemingly autobiographical) line from her hit song “So Gone.”
“You sure was,” Brandy replied. “I was one of the ones.”
But Monica refuted the quip, claiming, “People think I’m abusive. That’s not what happened.”
After a little back and forth, Brandy conceded, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that … I didn’t mean no shade by that.”
“It was a misunderstanding,” Monica replied before moving on, as both singers seemed to have done with the announcement of the upcoming tour.
Monica Vinader has added even more styles to their summer sale with up to 60% off necklaces, earrings, rings, bracelets and more
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Kate Middleton wearing the Monica Vinader Siren Wire Earrings(Image: Monica Vinader)
Monica Vinader, the popular jewellery brand favoured by celebrities like Kendall Jenner and royalty including the Princess of Wales, has reduced prices further on its website, with up to 60% off summer picks. Known for being one of the more affordable accessory retailers, you can now pick up Monica Vinader pieces at a reduced price.
With over 600 pieces of Monica Vinader jewellery to choose from, including stackable rings, personalised necklaces, earrings, bracelets and more, prices now start at £14. It’s the perfect time to treat yourself or a loved one to something sparkly for less.
Shoppers on the hunt for a versatile pair of earrings perfect for daily wear, the Siren Mini Domed Huggies are down from £60 to £39. Constructed from 18K gold vermeil, one customer said: “Such a beautiful, classy, comfy everyday hoop, which I never need to take out to sleep. Would highly recommend, particularly for the price.”
However, not everyone is satisfied with the size and another person expressed their surprise at the compactness, noting they were ‘shocked at how small they were’. For those considering a present, the Linear Disc Friendship Bracelet could be an ideal pick. Discounted from its regular £99 to £64.25 thanks to the sale offering 35% off – it’s available in various finishes.
A delighted shopper left a review saying: “Small delicate charm bracelet that would make a lovely gift. Simple style that can be easily layered up with other pieces. Easy to fasten on your own too. Also come in a cute little gift box if you were purchasing as a present.”
Yet someone else commented on the difficulty of fastening, stating: “Can be a little tricky to tighten and loosen, couldn’t get over my big hands to start with, may need to utilise a friend to help but makes it more secure.”
Kate Middleton wearing Monica Vinader Nura Pearl Necklace (Image: Getty)
Missoma is also running an up to 50% off summer sale. Pearls are featured in the sale, with the Savi Seed Pear Bracelet reduced by 26%. The limited edition bracelet is a ‘cute and elegant piece’, discounted to £73 down from £98.
Love Island fans are in luck as the exact necklace Samie Elishi wore on the show is finally back in stock. Called the San Pietro necklace by Soru, the £270 piece ‘goes with anything and stands out’.
For a splash of colour, take a look at the Monica Vinader Siren Stacking Ring. With a variety of stones and metal finishes on offer at different price points, one standout is the 18K gold vermeil with amazonite, reduced from £80 to £48.
Perfect for layering with other pieces, one happy customer wrote: “I bought this for my friend for her 40th birthday. It looks so stunning! I’m so pleased with it, and she loves it too.” You can browse the full Monica Vinader summer sale online.
