Our Story
Welcome to Nina Designs, where Beautiful Jewelry Begins.
We believe in the power of creativity to transform lives and make the world a better place. This belief informs everything we do, from the decision to create original designs and crafting a strong company culture, to our commitments to Fair Trade, Greening, and Philanthropy.
We strive to live up to our core values of Creativity, Excellence, Respect, Teamwork, Initiative and Inspiration. Our team works hard to embody this spirit in our interactions with each other, our customers, our silversmiths, and the environment.
On our website you will find a wide selection of charms, findings and ready-to-wear jewelry. The components are designed to work together to build a compelling story that your customers can’t resist. We keep the collections fresh by introducing new styles weekly.
Our mission is to deliver inspiration and help you realize your own creative vision. Since 1983, I have worked hard to build a strong community of jewelry designers, silversmiths and entrepreneurs. You are the heart of Nina Designs. My hope is that we can kindle your imagination and help you grow your business. Thank you for including Nina Designs on your creative journey! —Nina Cooper
The products we create at Nina Designs are part of a vast ecosystem that includes everyone from our silversmiths in Asia, to the jewelry designers and shops that sell our products, to the people wearing jewelry that began as a dream in our home office in California. This web of interconnection became especially apparent during the pandemic. We were able to help designers and online stores thrive by supplying silver and inspiration. In turn, their purchases allowed us to send a steady stream of orders to our silversmiths in Asia.
Bali was particularly hard hit by Covid. Their economy is largely based on tourism, which shut down completely for over a year. Each of our silversmiths were also supporting a host of unemployed family members. Who knew how impactful the purchase of a pair of earrings could be? Just as scientists have recently discovered how mycelium allows trees in a forest to converse and share resources, we learned from COVID how dependent we are on one another. We created the Nina Designs Tree of Life as a celebration and visual representation of our every expanding, interdependent community.
Who We Are
Nina Designs creates original sterling silver and bronze charms, pendants, findings, and finished jewelry for professional designers, makers, and shops around the world. Designed in California and handcrafted in Bangkok and Bali, our pieces blend thoughtful symbolism with meticulous craftsmanship and long-term partnerships with artisan workshops. Nina Designs is a woman-owned wholesale jewelry company founded in 1983 in California.
Nina Designs at a Glance
- Founded: 1983
- Based in: California, USA
- What we do: Original wholesale designs – charms, pendants, links, rings, earrings, necklaces, chains, and findings for the jewelry trade
- How we produce: Designed in California, handcrafted in artisan workshops in Bangkok and Bali using traditional silversmithing techniques
- Materials: Sterling silver, bronze, mixed metals, and select gold-plated styles
- Design themes: Nature, botanical, celestial, animals, mystical and sacred symbols, geometric and minimalist forms
- Who we serve: Jewelry brands, independent designers, gift shops, boutiques, bead stores, and other resellers
Sustainability & Artisan Support
- Recycled silver:
- 100% of our Thai production uses post-consumer recycled sterling silver
- 50% of our Bali production uses reclaimed sterling silver
- Trees planted: Over 210,000 trees planted with Trees for the Future to help offset our carbon footprint (and growing)
- Microloans & philanthropy: Over $300,000 in microloans to women artisans through Kiva and Novica, plus long-running philanthropic donations supporting communities worldwide
- Fair trade practices: Practicing fair trade principles since our founding – fair wages, safe working conditions, and opportunities for women in both production and management
- Green business: Certified Bay Area Green Business, with ongoing efforts to reduce environmental impact in production and operations
Questions & Answers:
How is Nina Designs different from generic wholesale suppliers?
Most wholesale jewelry suppliers sell a wide mix of generic catalog items from many factories. Nina Designs is different because every piece begins as an original design created by our in-house team, then brought to life by long-term artisan partners in Thailand and Bali.
We pair this design focus with a deep commitment to sustainability and fair trade: recycled silver, tree-planting to offset carbon, microloans for artisans, and progressive labor practices.
For buyers, that means:
- A cohesive, story-driven line instead of a random assortment
- Symbolic, nature-inspired motifs your customers remember
- Ethical sourcing and production you can feel good about featuring in your brand
Do you design the pieces yourselves?
Yes. All Nina Designs pieces start as original designs developed by our internal design team.
We sketch, prototype, and refine each charm, pendant, ring, and finding before it goes into production with our artisan partners. This is why the line feels cohesive across categories—from tiny charms and links to statement rings and finished necklaces.
Can I use your components in collections I sell under my own brand?
Absolutely. Many of our customers are independent designers and brands who use Nina Designs components as the building blocks of their own collections.
You can:
- Combine our charms, pendants, and findings with your own design elements
- Create finished jewelry you sell under your own brand name
- Curate themed assortments (for example: celestial, gothic, botanical, or wilderness) using our curated collections as a starting point
We ask only that you respect our intellectual property by not copying or recasting our designs. Beyond that, our goal is to help you build a strong, distinctive line that your customers love.
Last Updated: November 2025