Growing up in Florence, Italy, I knew, even as a child, that I wanted to become an artist. When I moved to the United States, I enrolled at Otis College of Art and Design and when I started making jewelry as a hobby a little over ten years ago, I quickly found myself selling my handmade pieces right off my neck! I started making custom pieces for family and friends and becoming more and more serious and focused on the jewelry I was creating and soon enough, my part-time hobby of making beautiful things had become a full-time, impassioned career. I named my company “Tula Design,” and, since 2004, it’s become my entire life. Because of Etsy, my business has gained incredible exposure over the years and has grown exponentially as time moves forward.

Living in Los Angeles, with the Tula Design jewelry studio downtown, I work side-by-side with a gifted metalsmith and an equally brilliant stonesetter, with whom I’ve been working for years. I also have a part-time assistant who takes care of my shipping and office duties, and with their collective ingenuity and talents, I can focus more specifically on the creative design of the jewelry and expand the Tula Design collection.

Everything I buy is sourced and purchased in the United States -- all the stones I purchase are directly from small, fair-trade, family-run businesses I personally know and trust. Tula Design uses recycled material as often as possible and wholly supports the concept of people helping people, being mindful of the environment and the legacy we leave behind, and supporting local artisans.

Marisa