JESSICA RICCI

14K Rose Quartz Ring

A hugely popular site in Rhode Island is the Newport Mansions. 

Consisting of nine homes built largely during the late 19^th century, the mansions showcase French and Italian architecture as well as sublime landscaping. 

Rhode Island is also home to featured jewelry designer Jessica Ricci.

Ricci is captivated by objects of the past.  In fact she fervently searches for and collects unusual treasures from around the globe including Mumbai, Tanzania, and Nepal. 

Deities, the Chinese zodiac, and Latin phrases each have a special place in Ricci’s unique yet stylish jewelry collections. 

There is a discrete gold cuff bracelet, from her Wanderlust Collection, composed of keys she collected from Tibet, Italy and France.  

Also from her Wanderlust Collection is her International Multi-Bead Necklace: an eclectic blend of lace scraps cast in gold, keys and vintage coins collected from India, Argentina and Thailand.  With origins based in such variegated backgrounds each eco-friendly jewelry design holds an interesting story between the design and the designer.

“The original lace used for my Puglia Lace Cuff Ring came from lace I found in Puglia, Italy.  The markets there are fabulous, and I love that a lot of the lace had this similar, circular rose-like design,” says the former journalist.

10K Gold Buenos Aires Diamond Key Ring with Diamonds

A one-time student of English literature, Ricci learned to make bead necklaces while working for a non-profit organization.  This hobby, however, was not based in any longstanding passion for crafting.  She simply wanted a low-key activity to pass the time during winter months.

Some years later Ricci would learn the time-honored lost wax technique “in the bottom of a church in Rome.”  Her time in Italy would be epiphanic as the experience awakened creative energy she believed she did not have.

“I had never taken any kind of art class and never, ever considered myself creative or artistic before I attended that class in Rome. 

It was a very rudimentary introduction to this technique, but it allowed me to start down a path I would have otherwise never noticed,” she recalls.

“Now I am developing an entirely new media: turning antique objects into luxe, wearable art.  Rebirthing one-of-a-kind pieces for new generations to enjoy.”

14K Gold Aquamarine Earrings

2014 Jewelry Trend Alert:  The lithe models of the Fall/Winter 2013-2014 Lanvin runways were decorated with “offbeat accessories.”  

This unpredictable style trend is alive and well in Ricci’s broad style vision of vintage and exotic found objects.