The Story
2015
March
The future founders of Leta, Michael Tantsura and Katya Alagich, make a trip to the Kaliningrad Region of Russia and immerse themselves in the local history of amber.
September
The beginning of the partnership – the founders agree to create a marketplace of amber jewelry together.
2016
January
ambery.net is registered. English-language marketplace called Ambery is launched in a partnership with local amber jewelry brands.
2017
March
The team decides to rethink the concept of Ambery. The marketplace is temporarily closed. A new website is being developed to launch Ambery’s own jewelry collection.
July
The first collection called Modernism is released. It’s a mix of Art Nouveau and Art Deco architecture, transferred to jewelry with amber.
September
Ambery opens its first showroom in Moscow at the Roden Manor in the Kitay-Gorod. The opening night gathers more than 100 guests.
November
The Chinese version of ambery.net is being launched to meet the demand in the eastern market.
December
The team accepts the first version of the brand’s environmental strategy. It includes a commitment to the responsible use of resources in both production and showroom.
2018
January
Vogue Russia publishes a material about the Modernism collection with a photo shoot by Lucy Zharikova, shot on the Curonian Spit.
March
Rebranding. The new company name is Leta. Among the reasons is the desire to use not only amber, but also other stones and materials.
April
Leta’s new home is in a historic building on Rozhdestvensky Boulevard. The new showroom has been visited by more than 300 people in a few months.
July
Brand’s first collaboration is about ecology – a project with the Friends of the Baltic Seal Foundation leads to a monthly deduction from sales to help the Foundation’s wards.
September
Leta pieces can be found on a display abroad for the first time – a store opens in Tokyo, where Modernism collection is presented.
2019
April
The Faberge Museum becomes one of the locations in St. Petersburg, where Leta jewelry pieces appear.
June
Leta speaks on a public matter for the first time, expressing its support to the Khachaturian sisters who suffered from domestic violence and, at the same time, were imprisoned.
September
New gift cards are presented on the website. Leta collaborates with the artist Ira Kruglova. A portion of the sales of the card is sent to the “Sisters” Independent Center, which helps victims of domestic and sexual violence.
November
ROMA collection is released. It is a modern interpretation of ancient Roman architecture. The principal motives are narrow windows, semi-circular arches, clear symmetry of columns and oculi in the domes of cathedrals. The collection lookbook was shot in late autumn in Rome.
November
Pieces from the Modernism and ROMA collections can now be found in a jewelry concept store in London.
2020
January
Leta becomes the first brand from Russia to appear on the notable Design Milk online store.
March
The world is facing first consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most stores in the world are closed. Leta announces free shipping worldwide, additionally supporting customers in Russia and the CIS with the opportunity to try on at home, also an option to refuse to buy without any explanation.
May
Leta jewelry pieces appear in a concept store in Seoul.
November
Atlas collection is released. It is a story about architecture created by nature on our planet. Every piece follows the contour lines of a specific location somewhere in the world.
December
Leta collections appear in a multi-brand store in Barcelona.
2021
March
Iris Apfel mentions one of the Leta ring in her blog. Leta is facing a huge volume of orders for its collections from the US and Europe.
April
The L’Appartement concept store in the Patriarch’s Ponds area becomes Leta’s new home in Moscow.
June
Leta becomes the first Russian jewelry brand to announce its commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by the year of 2028. This will be achieved by eliminating paper, reducing energy consumption in manufacturing and stores, using electric transport for delivery, and participating in sustainable forest management programs.
October
The first Leta collection made of gold – Una – is released. Named after Kazimir Malevich’s daughter, it represents the artist’s contemporary heritage. The jewelry items of the collection recreate his recognizable suprematist compositions.
2022
February
The Leta × Garage collection is released. It is a collaboration between the brand and the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art. It is celebrating the Autumn mosaic that covers one of the walls in the Atrium of the museum.
February
The war takes almost the whole world by surprise. Leta is now a team that is several time zones apart. In a few weeks, the company loses most of its partnerships with foreign stores, also huge part of its sales in Russia. Leta issues a statement on the front page of the site – “Being a Russian brand we think ourselves as a part of a free world in which there is no place for violence.”
April
The new section of the site is launched. It contains detailed information on every stone and material being used during the production of any Leta jewelry piece. This includes information about the mining place and processing method.
September
The Mies collection is released. It is dedicated to the power of light in architecture, which became the form making element in space along with brick, wood and glass for a German Modernist architect Mies van der Rohe.
2023
February
An earthquake in Turkey and Syria kills more than 50,000 people. Throughout February, Leta transfers part of the funds from the sales to help the victims.
April
1919 collection is released. 1919 got its name in honor of the year in which the Bauhaus movement originated in Germany.
June
The private club for selected Leta clients is launched, offering a wide choice of cultural events for its members.
September
Leta wins the lawsuit against Sunlight, leading jewelry retailer in Russia. The court recognizes Sunlight’s responsibility for copying several jewelry pieces from the ROMA collection. Sunlight is ordered to pay a significant compensation.