Judith Ripka: Humble Beginnings to a NYC Headquarters

The Judith Ripka brand is one of the leading luxury jewelry brands in the U.S.  With a company that boasts a New York City headquarters, 11 luxury boutiques in key luxury markets around the world and over 100 employees, Judith Ripka is a classic example of the American dream.  With incredible talent, a forceful drive and a fiery passion for jewelry design, she is at the helm of the luxury jewelry industry and a role model to men and women alike.

During her early marriage, she worked as a jewelry buyer for the May Company in New York City under the direction of Dawn Mellow, who was critical in the reinvention of Gucci in the late 1990s and is now with Bergdorf Goodman. During that time as a buyer, she “inhaled everything I could about the fine jewelry business.” She even took a few art classes at the Parsons School of Design, now called Parsons New School for Design, in New York City, made popular by the reality TV show Project Runway and its weekly judge Tim Gunn, who is currently the chair of the department of fashion design at the school.

She began designing her jewelry in her living room in Long Island while she raised her three and her husband worked to support the family. Her initial prototypes were made from wire. Her first big break was when a friend’s father who worked in the jewelry business offered to manufacture them at cost. When she sold a ring, she bought more rings with the profits.

In time, Judith Ripka afforded to rent a factory – a small factory in Manhattan– which she describes as “twice the size of a tiny bathroom” and she hired a contractor to create the jewelry. She continued to be committed to investing her profits back into the business. She purposefully grew slowly at the beginning, making sure not to overextend herself and keeping her children as her main priority. “I had to make sure my children would be okay first.” She began to expand aggressively only once her last child left for college. She has three sons, two of whom are involved with the family business. Brian Ripka is the president overseeing retail expansion and David Ripka is the chief operating officer overseeing production, which is still primarily done in New York.

Judith Ripka not only rose to the top of an elite business, she has done so with a unique group of employees. Her multi-million dollar and international business has over 120 employees – 105 of whom are women. The growth of her business from a one woman show to what it is today speaks volumes of her business intellect which parallels her jewelry design prowess.