A Letter From the Founder

I Have Selected Jewelry by Hand for 30 Years. Now Every Remaining Piece Is Free. I Want to Tell You Why.

On the six things James and I have always insisted on for our jewelry, what sets it apart from what you will find elsewhere, and why we would rather give it all away than let someone else put our name on factory imports.

I am Lucia, and I started Lucia & James Jewelry with my husband James over 30 years ago, from a small workspace barely bigger than a kitchen table. We had pliers, a magnifying glass, a handful of gemstones, and a promise we made to each other: we would never sell a piece of jewelry we would not proudly give to our own family.

For three decades, that is exactly what we did. Every ring, every necklace, every bracelet in our boutique was personally chosen by the two of us. We held each piece. We checked the clasp, the weight, the way it caught the light. If it did not feel right in our hands, it never made it to the shelf.

Now we are retiring. And instead of selling the business to a buyer who would replace our hand-selected pieces with factory imports, we are giving everything away. Every remaining piece is free. You only cover the cost of shipping.

I want to explain why, and I want to tell you about the jewelry itself, because I think once you understand what we put into it, you will understand why we could not bear to let anyone else take it over.

Genuine materials, never plated.

James proposed to me with a ring that turned my finger green in a week. We laughed about it, but it planted a seed. Every piece in our boutique uses real materials. Sterling silver, solid gold vermeil, genuine gemstones. Nothing coated or plated to look good for a few months before the truth shows through. Our jewelry is the kind you can wear every day for years, and it still looks the way it did the day you opened the box.

Hand-selected, not mass-produced.

We never used a supplier catalogue. James and I selected every gemstone, every setting, every clasp by hand. We rejected far more pieces than we kept. If the weight felt off, if the clasp was not smooth, if the stone did not catch the light the way it should, it went back. That is the difference between jewelry that was chosen and jewelry that was ordered in bulk.

Made to be kept, not to follow a trend.

Our pieces were never designed around what was fashionable that season. They were designed around what a woman would reach for every morning without thinking. The kind of necklace that sits perfectly against your collarbone. The kind of ring your daughter asks to borrow. The kind of earrings you forget you are wearing until someone stops you to say they are beautiful.

Packaging that feels like a gift, even to yourself.

Every order leaves our workshop wrapped the way it has for 30 years. By hand, in our gold box, with the same care we would give if we were handing it to you across the counter. Because even when you are buying for yourself, you deserve to feel like someone thought about you.

Our jewelry, against what you have been buying

You can find jewelry for ten or twenty dollars almost anywhere. I know, because before we started this, I wore it. Here is the difference.

Why every piece is free

We are retiring. After 30 years, it is time. We were approached by buyers, brands that wanted our name, our reputation, our customer list. Every one of them would have replaced our hand-selected pieces with factory imports and put our name on the box.

We said no to all of them.

I will be plain about it. At this price we are not making money. I am telling you because I do not want you to hesitate. If 30 years of running this little boutique has taught me anything, it is that a woman who tries one piece always comes back for more. I just want these pieces worn and loved, not sitting in a warehouse that will never reopen.

The reviews say the same things I have, over and over. If you have ever wanted a piece of real, hand-selected jewelry without paying boutique prices, this is the last time it will be possible. Once the pieces are gone, Lucia & James closes for good.

It is the jewelry I am proudest of in 30 years. I would rather it go to women who will wear it than sit in a box somewhere.

With love,
Lucia

This is a personal letter from the co-founder of Lucia & James Jewelry. Availability is subject to remaining stock.