The roar of a hundred thousand people in SoFi Stadium, amplified by the collective gasp of over 100 million viewers at home, is a sound few will ever forget. It was February 13, 2022, the halftime show of Super Bowl LVI, and the stage belonged to a pantheon of hip-hop gods. Amidst the pyrotechnics and precision choreography, one figure stood out with a quiet, magnetic intensity: Kendrick Lamar. Dressed in a custom black wool suit by Louis Vuitton’s late Virgil Abloh, he commanded the global stage. But for Yael Fraynd, sitting miles away, her eyes were fixed on something smaller, something that glittered with an almost defiant brilliance against the stark black of his ensemble.
Pinned to the side of his backward New Era cap and to the lapel of his jacket were not one, but three spectacular diamond brooches from her client, Rahaminov Diamonds. One was a delicate, pavé-set leaf. Another was a striking Art Deco-inspired piece. But the star was an audacious, three-dimensional wing brooch, its feathers meticulously crafted in 18k white gold and blanketed with over 9 carats of diamonds, valued at a breathtaking $68,000. Under the stadium lights, they didn’t just sparkle; they exploded, catching the light and the world’s attention with every turn of the Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper’s head.
In that moment, Fraynd’s phone began to melt down. Texts, emails, and social media notifications cascaded in a digital torrent. Journalists, stylists, and industry insiders were all asking the same question: Whose diamonds are those? For days, the conversation swirled. While Lamar’s flared Celine jeans sparked trend pieces, it was the unexpected elegance of the Rahaminov brooches that captured the imagination of high-fashion and pop culture arbiters alike. People magazine ran a feature. Vogue took note. The online style forums buzzed with a mix of awe and aspiration.
“That was an incredible moment, a definite career highlight,” Fraynd reflects, the memory still vivid and electrifying. “It wasn’t just about the placement. It was about the context. It was Kendrick Lamar, a true artist and cultural force, making a statement at the Super Bowl. To have our client be a part of that narrative, to see their craftsmanship appreciated on that scale… it’s the kind of synergy you dream of in this business.”
For Fraynd, the owner and president of the New York-based powerhouse Yaya Publicity, this Super Bowl triumph wasn’t a stroke of luck. It was the spectacular culmination of years of relentless work, strategic thinking, and, most importantly, a deeply personal connection to the world she operates in. And this year, Yael Fraynd has another monumental reason to celebrate: the 15th anniversary of the company she built from the ground up.
Fifteen years in the hyper-competitive, ever-shifting landscape of public relations is an eternity. For a boutique firm specializing in the notoriously demanding niche of fine jewelry, it’s a testament to a model that works. “We’re hands-on, highly accessible, and everything we do is built on real, organic relationships,” Fraynd explains. This isn’t just marketing copy; it’s the foundational creed of Yaya Publicity. In an industry that can often feel transactional and impersonal, Fraynd has cultivated an environment of genuine partnership. She doesn’t just represent brands; she champions them, becoming an extension of their team, their most passionate advocate.
“For me, this isn’t just a business—it’s something I truly love,” she says with an earnestness that’s palpable. “I always joke that I talk to my clients more than I talk to my husband.” The joke, like all good ones, contains a kernel of truth. It speaks to a level of dedication that transcends the 9-to-5, a commitment born not just of professional obligation, but of a profound and lifelong fascination with the very essence of jewelry itself.
That fascination didn’t begin in a sleek Manhattan office or a glamorous showroom. It began in the sun-drenched, humid air of a Miami apartment, with a spool of colorful embroidery thread and the nimble fingers of a six-year-old girl. Long before she was pitching editors at Vogue, Fraynd was an entrepreneur in miniature. She would sit for hours on the floor of her family’s home, meticulously weaving friendship bracelets, her young mind focused on the patterns and knots. Each finished bracelet was a small work of art, a tangible piece of her creativity.
But she didn’t just make them for fun. She sold them. With a shy determination, Yael Fraynd would knock on her neighbors’ doors, her small hands holding out a collection of vibrant, woven bands. That early experience, selling her creations for a dollar or two, was her first, unchaperoned lesson in commerce, communication, and the pure joy of seeing someone light up when they connect with something you’ve made. It taught her the fundamental principle of her future career: a product isn’t just an object; it’s a story waiting to be told, a connection waiting to be made.
As she grew, this innate understanding of people and presentation continued to develop. A high school job at a popular teen apparel store became another crucial training ground. It was there, amidst racks of trendy clothes and the pulse of pop music, that she learned to read a room, to understand the subtle cues of a customer, and to appreciate the power of communication. She realized she thrived on the dynamic energy of the sales floor, the constant interaction, the problem-solving. She also learned, with crystal clarity, what she didn’t want. “I knew then that I probably wasn’t cut out for a traditional desk job,” she says. The thought of being confined to a cubicle, away from the action and the people, felt like a creative death sentence.
After high school, she enrolled in a local college, choosing to study a combination that seemed, on the surface, disparate but would prove to be prophetic: psychology and communications. She was drawn to psychology for its promise of understanding human motivation—what drives people, what they desire, what makes them tick. Communications, meanwhile, offered the tools to craft and deliver a message effectively. She was, without yet knowing it, assembling the perfect toolkit for a career in public relations.
The theoretical world of academia, however, could only hold her interest for so long. The real turning point came in 2006, when she landed a coveted internship at the prestigious, Miami-based Cece Feinberg PR. From the moment she walked into the bustling office, Fraynd knew she was home. The constant ringing of phones, the stylish editors coming and going, the palpable sense of urgency and excitement—it was everything she had craved. She wasn’t content to simply fetch coffee and make copies. She threw herself into the work with a ferocious energy, observing, learning, and absorbing everything. Yael Fraynd began bringing in new clients on her own initiative, securing press placements that impressed her superiors.
Her first official account was a world away from the fashion and jewelry she would come to dominate: it was a luxury boat company. The challenge was immense. How does a young intern, barely out of her teens, learn to speak the language of million-dollar yachts and the ultra-high-net-worth individuals who buy them? She dove in headfirst, studying the industry, understanding the nuances of craftsmanship, and learning what aspirational luxury truly meant. “Right away,” she recalls, “I realized how much I enjoyed working with that high-end type of business. It was about selling a dream, a lifestyle, not just a product.”
Her talent and tenacity did not go unnoticed. Within a year, Cece Feinberg presented her with an extraordinary opportunity, a choice that would define the next chapter of her life. The firm was expanding and wanted Fraynd to help open a new office. The choice was hers: Los Angeles or New York City.
For a young woman with ambition, it was a dizzying proposition. LA offered sunshine and the glamour of Hollywood. New York offered something else: density, history, and the undisputed heart of the American media and fashion industries. “I chose to stay on the East Coast,” Fraynd says. “I had friends who were moving to New York, and I just felt that I would have more networking opportunities there. It was the epicenter.”
The professional decision was easy. The personal one was far more difficult. “Convincing my parents wasn’t easy,” she remembers, a smile in her voice. Raised in a more traditional family, the idea of their young daughter moving to the sprawling metropolis of New York City alone was daunting. “They imagined I’d live at home until I got married. It was a different mindset.” To assuage their fears, she made a promise, a classic negotiation tactic of determined children everywhere: “I promised it would just be for one year. I told them that if I wanted to build my own company one day, which was already a dream in the back of my mind, I needed this experience. I needed to be in the trenches.”
Her parents relented, and Fraynd moved to New York. The reality of her new role was both terrifying and exhilarating. She was, for all intents and purposes, running the New York City office solo. Her days were a whirlwind of responsibility. She was the point person for clients, the face of the firm at editor meetings, the strategist, the networker, and the administrator, all rolled into one. She navigated the subway system with garment bags, pounded the pavement to meet with editors at Condé Nast and Hearst, and slowly but surely built a formidable network of contacts. The pressure was immense, but so was the empowerment. She was building something, proving to herself and the world that she could not only survive but thrive in the most competitive city on Earth.
By 2010, the “one year” Yael Fraynd had promised her parents had stretched into a successful tenure. She had the experience, the network, and an unshakeable confidence in her own abilities. With the encouragement of her family, who had seen her blossom, she knew it was time. She was ready to establish her own company.
That year, 2010, was a watershed moment in every sense. As she was laying the groundwork for her business, drafting a business plan, and securing her first clients, fate intervened in her personal life as well. That summer, she met the man she would go on to marry. The dual foundation of her future—a new business and a new love—was laid simultaneously, a cosmic affirmation that she was on the right path. Today, they are the proud parents of four children, a bustling family life that Fraynd navigates with the same grace and energy she brings to her company.
Looking back, she is filled with gratitude for her beginnings. “Cece Feinberg PR was my only job before I went out on my own,” she says. “The trust and freedom I was given there were incredible. Cece let me run, and that gave me the confidence I needed to build my own business. I’m forever grateful for that foundation.”
Yaya Publicity was born. Its first client came not from a formal pitch, but from a moment of serendipity that perfectly illustrates Fraynd’s philosophy of organic connection. It was a chance encounter at an airport, a casual conversation struck up with a stranger that led to a business relationship. Her second client was the designer Jennifer Zeuner. In an industry known for its revolving doors, Jennifer Zeuner Jewelry remains a flagship client of Yaya Publicity to this day, a fifteen-year partnership that stands as the ultimate proof of Fraynd’s loyalty and effectiveness.
It was from these early relationships that Fraynd made a pivotal decision. She saw a gap in the market and a place where her own passions aligned perfectly. Yael Fraynd decided to specialize almost exclusively in jewelry. And she’s never looked back.
“PR is about people, and jewelry is deeply personal,” she explains, articulating the core truth that drives her. “It’s a space I truly connect with.” For her, a diamond necklace or a gold ring is never just an accessory. It is a vessel of memory, a marker of milestones. It’s the engagement ring that symbolizes a promise, the heirloom passed down through generations, the charm bracelet that tells the story of a life in miniature, the defiant statement piece worn to a board meeting. “Jewelry is how we tell our story,” she says.
This belief is woven into the fabric of her own life. It’s not a marketing slogan; it’s her personal aesthetic. “I’ve always been someone who will spend on accessories and keep the outfit simple,” Yael Fraynd shares. “A great tee, a perfect pair of jeans, and fantastic jewelry—that is a perfect look to me.”
This is the secret to Yael Fraynd’s alchemy. She is successful because she is authentic. Yael Fraynd promotes jewelry with such passion because she genuinely loves and understands its power. From the six-year-old girl selling friendship bracelets in Miami to the industry leader who helped place a diamond brooch on the world’s biggest stage, the throughline has always been the same: a belief in the power of beautiful things to forge human connection. As Yaya Publicity celebrates fifteen years of success, it’s clear that Fraynd hasn’t just built a company. She has created a community, bound by trust, taste, and the timeless, glittering stories that we choose to wear on our skin.
