Since starting her women’s clothing line Zamrie and graduating from the Chicago Fashion Incubator’s 2009 class, Ashley Zygmunt decided she would be more successful narrowing her focus to women’s blouses and tops. But recently, spurred by the positive attention her handmade jewelry garnered, she added a small collection to her line. Her necklaces and earrings incorporate quartz and other stones with gold-plated and antique brass chains. Each one is handmade and one-of-a-kind, and they are designed to coordinate with that season’s clothing designs.
The sideline is a co-creation of Zygmunt and her mom, who used to create jewelry together back when Zygmunt was in middle school. It turned out that adding it to Zamrie’s offerings wasn’t much extra work: unlike clothing, “You don’t have to do it completely in advance and you can do it during slow times.” And of course, there’s that invaluable help from mom.
Zamrie jewelry is for sale at the CFI pop-up shop, on the fifth floor of the 900 Shops, 900 N. Michigan, through April 23. Prices run from $40 for a pair of earrings to up to $200 for a necklace. Zygmunt herself will be at the shop this Sunday from noon to 3 PM for a designer meet-and-greet.