I was lucky enough to grow up in a household that revered all things aesthetic. My father a Designer and Artist, my mother an Architectural Historian and an American Decorative Arts expert. At a young age I identified my passion and interests laid in gems and jewelry.

 

I grew up in New York City going to school on the upper east side and living in the lower east side – if you know New York – those two very different worlds and I loved it! I grew up influenced by the thick black eyeliner, ripped fishnet stockings and mohawks of Greenwich Village and the bright Lilly Pulitzer summer dresses, monogramed sweaters and all things Tiffany of the Upper East Side. Often, I would meander around the jewelry district on 47th street and many an afternoon I spent in the Forbes Gallery drooling over and studying the Fabergé Egg collection. I remember one of my favorite Christmas presents was an annual membership to the MET. I loved spending my Saturdays walking though the Roman, Greek, and Egyptian wings to look at the ancient jewelry, or reading in the American Wing surrounded by the saturated colors of the Tiffany-stained glass windows. I dreamt of what I jewelry would make someday.

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Jewelry has been a long-time interest, hobby, and maybe a little bit of an obsession too! There's just something amazing about putting on a special piece of jewelry that inspires joy and confidence, and I knew I wanted to be able to do that for other people someday.

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​My education began at home, where my teachers were Mother and Father. No matter where we were, in a museum or a house or worship, a historic home, or taking the bus down 5th Ave or even rummaging through possible treasures at a tag sale  I was taught to know how things were made and what they were made out of. My mother held a masters in American Decorative Arts, one of the first women to attend Winterthur as a graduate student and was also an architectural historian and preservationist. My Father one of many artists and designers in his family to run the Rambusch Lighting & Decorating Company, which specializing in custom architectural lighting, stained glass, sculptures and mosaics. The company is 125 years old with my twin brothers currently at the helm.

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Summers were spent in a 200+ year old farm house that had original Shaker built-in designs, furniture and even relics from the Civil war. The house was filled with historical objects from centuries of the families who lived there before us. One of my mother’s and my favorite summer activities was going to “tag-sales” in the Berkshires. We were always on the hunt to find a treasure. She would always explain to me if something was or was not “real” and why. I’d find a pretty teacup and she tell me what exactly it was made of and based on the shape, materials and design she could place the date of cup.  When it came to jewelry she taught me about stones, how to identify real versus glass, pearls – how to test if they are real – making me take a pearl to my teeth to make sure it was rough and cold, and thus a real pearl. My father with his background in design would then explain to me fabrication techniques to pretty much anything – from mosaics and frescos and bronze castings to one of a kind decorative piece. How does one make enamel or a mosaic or why use brass versus copper for a certain piece of art. Let’s just say I was lucky and basically got the equivalent of a fine arts degree just growing up in this incredible household!

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​Despite my upbringing and love of art, history, antiques, all things vintage, anthropology, nature and of course jewelry, corporate America was where I ended up. After graduating college from Johns Hopkin and a Masters in Business from Denver University I dove into start-up's and technology. Got sidetracked getting married to the love of my life and best friend and having and raising three incredible daughter I am proud to call my own and are the lights of my life.

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​Over the years working and raising our family between Denver and the East coast, mostly Maine, the Berkshire, and of course New York City I dreamt and worked towards the day when I could design and make jewelry full time. After years of studying under master gold and silver smiths, learning enameling and other techniques I felt like I had the expertise to dive into a new industry and see if I could make and sell Jewelry. In the Fall of 2023, I launched my own Jewelry brand, Knickerbocker Lane. The name is a nod to the old name for New York City during the Gilded Age, and a love for a certain street on a special island I love also called Knickerbocker. Can’t wait for the next few years and thanks for reading – I hope you love my work!

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