The image of a female lawyer is pretty stereotypical: pinstriped suits and conservative accessories are the uniform. So when we met Rachel Dooley, a former lawyer and the founder of jewelry line Gemma Redux, we couldn't help but be surprised. Between her fiery red hair and quick-to-laugh personality, this woman doesn't belong in a courtroom.
Thankfully for us, she made a career switch when she found designing jewelry to not only be a reprieve from the legal grind, but profitable as well. Dooley told us that her undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering paired with her love of stones and metal made for a strong foundation from which to start her business.
Dooley knew she was on her way when she was accepted into the CFDA Fashion Incubator program. There she was guided and mentored by industry leaders and her fellow "classmates" included Prabal Gurung and Bibhu Mohapatra.
Blake Lively and the cast of "Gossip Girl" have been fans of Gemma Redux since the show started taping. But it wasn't until Dooley found herself invited to Lively's 21st birthday party that she realized she had really made it. Lively can be seen in Gemma Redux signature bold baubles in almost every episode.
But Lively certainly isn't the only fan of the line. Dooley describes her customer as ageless, someone who truly loves the stones and just wants to have fun with jewelry. And how could anyone not have fun with the gorgeous jewels? Rachel's advice for spring: Mix the soft pastel stone pieces with strong silhouettes. Think rose gold and blue lace agate with sleek, minimalist blazers.
Now is the perfect time to start collecting Gemma Redux: they are offering Stylelist readers an exclusive 25% off the entire site with the discount code HappySpring25. We've rounded up some of our favorites from her collection below, and we want to know, which pieces will you buy for spring?
