At 25 years old, Jessica DiRubio of New Canaan, founder of Jessica DiRubio Jewelry, has her pieces featured in another Fairfield native”™s new movie, Meg Ryan”™s “The Women.”
DiRubio grew up in New Canaan and went on to Colgate University in Hamilton, N.Y., graduating with a degree in English in 2005.
“It was something I did just as a hobby when I was supposed to be studying AP biology in high school,” said DiRubio. “I started designing my own jewelry my sophomore year of college.”
DiRubio began making the jewelry purposely for charities, primarily breast cancer research.
When she was a junior in college she began to sell her jewelry as a wholesaler out of stores in Fairfield and Westchester counties.
By the time she graduated from Colgate, DiRubio products were being sold in five stores. She spent the next two years building her brand, in that time creating 180 pieces. By 2007 she had refined her style and began working with diamonds and semiprecious stones.
“It”™s all handmade in our studio in New York City,” said DiRubio. “We use a lot of old jewelry-making techniques in terms of using granulation and twist wire. Our jewelry takes on a very classic feel.”
DiRubio works with 18 carat green gold, an alloy made primarily of gold and silver.
“It”™s more popular in Europe, it makes for a very soft color, very wearable but conservative,” said DiRubio. “It”™s all very timeless.”
The majority of the DiRubio pieces retail in the $5,000 to $15,000 price range. The jeweler uses bezel setting, a labor intensive old-world style method of setting stones.
“We”™ve spent this year building our wholesale name,” said DiRubio.
In the past year the DiRubio line went from being sold in the original five stores, to 25 stores scattered throughout the East.Â
“We”™re expanding our market and our demographic,” said DiRubio.
In 2008, DiRubio was featured as one of the “Rising Stars” at the mecca of jewelry conventions, JCK Las Vegas.
“As a new designer, it”™s one of the highest accolades you can receive,” said DiRubio.
DiRubio currently has 12 employees working for her between her headquarters in New Canaan and studio in New York.
Henry C. Reid & Son is her exclusive distributor in New Canaan.
“This is the tip of the iceberg,” said DiRubio. “Within the next two years we will definitely have a store on Madison Avenue.”
DiRubio said she plans to make that the only shore and will continue to grow her brand as a wholesaler in the years to come.
Her pieces are worn in “The Women” by actors Annette Benning and Eva Mendes. DiRubio has also had her pieces worn on a half-dozen television shows in the past two years.
“It”™s been a real struggle to implement myself in this industry,” said DiRubio. “People are really surprised to find out that I”™m a designer. I”™m an Italian-Catholic girl who doesn”™t fit into the jewelry world at all. My strengths are on the business side and sales and I get a lot of that from my dad. You could invent the wheel but if you don”™t know how to sell it it”™s not going to get out there.”
DiRubio continues to donate pieces to raise money for causes, including domestic violence awareness, animal welfare and a multiple myeloma charities.
