Suburban designer wants to make you sparkle with delicious ‘arm candy’
By Jessica Sedgwick jsedgwick@suntimes.com January 11, 2012 7:00PM
Isabella Rose bracelets (from the top): Padma, $68, Alexandria, $108, and Adriana, $78. “You wear all three of these and you’re going out and having great time. I’m all about the stacking.” | Al Podgorski~Sun-Times
Isabella Rose
Designs
Where to buy: Isabellarose
designs.com, and Niva Gift Shop inside Trump International Hotel & Tower, 401 N. Wabash
Prices: Most of the bracelets cost between $30 and $200
Article Extras
Updated: February 13, 2012 9:01AM
The self-proclaimed Queen of Arm Candy wants to help women sparkle. And feel pretty. And, oh yeah, empower themselves.
Renee Trikolas of Kildeer launched a jewelry business in 1998, named Isabella Rose after her daughter. But a few years ago, she lost her motivation to design — or to do anything, really — when her marriage fell apart and she and her husband separated.
“You go through life thinking, ‘This is great, I’m married, I’m happy, I have these beautiful kids and this perfect life.’ And then overnight, it isn’t.”
Trikolas spent a year mourning the loss of her marriage. But last fall she decided to get out her slump and relaunch her business in an attempt to rebuild her life. She encourages others to do the same. “I want to empower women. I want to make people feel good about themselves.”
Trikolas now focuses purely on bracelets. Her delicious arm candy is centered around colorful Swarovski crystals, as well as 24-karat gold and sterling silver, but she keeps the price points low to make her designs more accessible.
“I’m going to give them the best quality without paying department store prices. I want to make bracelets that are not trendy and that people can wear forever,” Trikolas says.
Another goal of hers? To take the fear out of layering. “People are afraid. I try to make them mix and match a little bit.”
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