Forty years ago, I was a teenager selling my handmade jewelry from a stand on Telegraph Avenue and wondering how I could turn my passion into a viable career. In search of answers, I studied business at UC Berkeley. Inspiration struck on a trip to Bali, where I discovered a thriving community of artisans. Working together, we brought to life a collection of silver jewelry, beads, and findings inspired by the ancient jewelry that fascinated me as a child exploring the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
In 1993 I built a production facility in Bali with the goal of empowering women and fostering the ancient art of crafting silver by hand. In 1995 I launched ninadesigns.com, one of the first e-commerce sites in the industry. As my business evolved, I expanded our design options by forming partnerships with casting facilities in Thailand and Bali that produce high quality, hand finished products. Each of our designs begins as a dream in our home office in Berkeley, travels the globe, and lands in the hands of jewelry lovers worldwide.
Through the decades, I have remained focused on Fair Trade and giving back through our Microloan, Greening, and Philanthropy programs. To celebrate our 40th anniversary year, I will be donating $1,000 each month to a different non-profit chosen to align with our core mission: Inspiring Beauty & Creativity While Caring for People & Our Planet.
Thank you for all the years of support!
-Nina
- 1983, Selling beaded jewelry on Telegraph Ave and in local shops
- Business Major at UC Berkeley
- First trips to Bali, started designing and importing jewelry, findings, wood carvings, clothing & handicrafts
- Had silversmiths make clasps and findings that I wanted to use in my jewelry
- Lost house in 1991 fire, decided to focus on silver beads and findings, all handmade silver from Bali
- Move to Santa Fe after fire
- Built production facility in Bali
- First catalog
- Adopted Lyra from China!
- Launched ecommerce website in 1995! One of the first, if not the first, in our industry
- Business expanded rapidly
- Relocated back to the Bay Area in 1999
- Expanded production to Thailand, allowing us to create cast designs in addition to our handmade Bali collection
- Brief forays into India and Mexico
- Got married and adopted Tali from China!
- Active in the trade magazines writing articles about jewelry designers, business, and history
- 25+ tradeshows per year
- Incorporated the business
- Purchased our building in Berkeley
- Started our International Micro Loan program for women artisans. ($270,000 in loans made to date in 2022!)
- Navigated huge spikes in silver prices
- Developed and introduced our bronze line as an affordable alternative
- Our line shifted to focus on charms and lightweight findings
- Established core values and companywide goal setting system
- Began our carbon neutrality program. Committed to planting one tree for every package we shipped. 189,000 trees planted to date!
- Initiated a transition to using recycled silver
- Major infrastructure and tech investments
- Re-engineered supply chain to create resilience and increase capacity
- Expanded our ready-to-wear jewelry line
- Increased design capacity to 350 new styles per year
- Shifted away from tradeshows
- Strengthened relationships with our distributors and wholesalers
- Grew dramatically during the pandemic
40th Anniversary Monthly Donations!
We will be donating $1,000 each month to a different non-profit chosen to align with our core mission.
January 2023 - Homelessness
End Homelessness - "The National Alliance to End Homelessness is a nonpartisan organization committed to preventing and ending homelessness in the United States.”"