Frisk Jewelry’s glamorous line of reworked vintage designs offer an upbeat, pop-star twist on traditional prim and proper. These one-of-a-
kind pieces combine ladylike pearls and delicate gold and silver chains with whimsical charms, colorful brooches, and sparkling beads and crystals to create a fun new jewelry line. Signature styles include chunky twisted chokers, long layered strands of chains and charms, and dangly pearl-and-charm earrings.
The company: The women of Frisk have been in business only a year, but they already have caught the eye of some important people in the fashion industry. Designed by the mother-and-daughters team of Donna Rubino, 52, Amanda Rubino, 26, and Jessica Rubino, 21, the line counts Traver Rains of Heatherette among its fans.
During a recent visit to the Denver boutique The Skye, Rains and his design partner, Richie Rich, each had a Frisk necklace on display. Catching the eye of a New York label known to be favored by Gwen Stefani and Paris Hilton? Not too shabby for a trio of women who started out by playing around with Mom’s jewelry collection.
The back story: Donna Rubino moved to Boulder from New Jersey in 1981. While the girls were growing up, a favorite pastime was playing with their mother’s extensive collection of vintage and costume jewelry.
Both girls chose the University of Colorado (Amanda graduated with a degree in literature in 2002, and Jessica is studying journalism), but the new family business soon may become a full-time involvement. Last December, the three women dug out a bunch of old jewelry and started layering and reconstructing the vintage pieces purely for their own use, but the pieces quickly caught the eyes of boutique buyers.
By February, they were selling to Lola in Boulder and The Skye. Now the line is also available at stores in Los Angeles and New York City. “We’re pretty overwhelmed by everything,” says Donna. “We are at the point where we would like to expand, but we also want to keep the business small, within the family.”
Their inspiration: The Rubinos cruise antique shops and flea markets looking for unique elements to inspire each design; in one chunky choker, a red crystal flower (formerly a clip earring) was added to a twist of white pearls and black jet beads for a striking contrast of colors.
Small charms are worked into the pieces, often following a theme – hearts, keys, teacups, sailboats, horseshoes and other items add an element of humor and keep the look lighthearted.
“We usually find one particular charm that inspires us and build the pieces around it,” says Jessica. They will happily accept old family pieces from customers, as well. “It’s a great way to update sentimental charms or old pearls,” she adds.
The customer: “We love to incorporate a lot of different things into each piece, so each one can appeal to a lot of different people,” says Amanda. Most customers are drawn to a specific item within a necklace or pair of earrings. For Rains, for instance, it was a silver horse charm that reminded him of growing up on a ranch in Montana.
Where to find it: The Skye, 1499 Blake St., 303-623-0444; Lola in Boulder, 1203 13th St., 303-440-1224; Canary in a Clothes Mine, 114 S. Main St., Breckenridge, 970-547-9007; and at girlsforfrisk.com.
What it costs: Chunky necklaces, $150; layered necklaces, $110; earrings, $75.
