RVJ Jewelry

Wearable Folk Art

I grew up in Ohio, where each weekend my father handed out our allowance. We would start with a trip to the local movie house, but my favorite stop always came afterward at the five and dime.

The materials drew me in early. Yarn, scent, small objects meant to be held. I taught myself to crochet as a child and never stopped working with my hands. More than eighty years later, it remains part of my daily life.

After moving to Los Angeles, I studied art history and interior design, grounding my instincts in formal training and visual discipline. I continued my education through museum work, first as a docent at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and later as shop manager at a private museum dedicated to African American art.

My introduction to beading came later, through a project and materials sent to me by my daughter. What began as a single assignment became a lifelong practice. For over four decades, I have worked with beads as material, structure, and language.

I developed my technique through hands on mentorship, collaboration, and years of making. In the pre digital era, sourcing materials and learning new methods required persistence and community. A neighborhood bead shop became a place of study and exchange, and its owner a mentor. Together, we exhibited and sold work at craft fairs and curated shows.

I made continuously, guided by curiosity and craft rather than commercial outcome. The work was always about the piece itself. Over time, my jewelry entered private collections and institutional spaces, including the Smithsonian Store.

Much of what I created was never released. These pieces remained personal studies and finished works set aside over decades. Only recently did I recognize the full scope of the collection.

Now, with the assistance of my family, RVJ Jewelry is reborn and brings those hidden works forward through regular releases, offered as pieces sell. Each adornment is one of a kind.

In the coming months, a limited number of commissioned works will be accepted. Only a small number of pieces will be made this year.

This is not jewelry made to follow trends. It is wearable folk art.