From the original designer of Lunch at The Ritz™
Ritzy Couture by Esme Hecht is my fun, fashionable, and fiercely collectible art jewelry line — and honestly, it's my creative way of refusing to take myself too seriously. I obsessively document the icons of our lives: the things we love, the moments that make us laugh, the symbols that make us us. Each piece is a little wearable vignette, designed with the intention of reminding you — and me — that life is short, and it absolutely must be fun.
My original thematic designs are wonderfully oversized, double-sided, uniquely hand-colored, hand-set with crystal, and embellished with semiprecious beads and rhinestones. They drive us all a little crazy to make. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Ritzy Couture is designed to make you smile, start a conversation, and express true testimony to your individuality. Whether worn alone, as a set, or fearlessly mixed and matched, each piece makes a statement as unique as the woman wearing it.
About Esme
My mother, God love her, wore a different pair of my earrings every single day of her life.
It didn't start out that way. From an early age she could see I loved the arts — so naturally, she told me to become a doctor and do art on the side. And what did I do? After college, I hitchhiked from New York to Berkeley, California, where I got a job in a jewelry factory. I sold my wares as a street artist in Berkeley and San Francisco. I was absolutely ecstatic.
In 1982, I moved to New York and created Lunch at The Ritz™ — a celebrated line of designer fashion jewelry sold internationally to department stores, exclusive boutiques, and art galleries worldwide. My customers included Cher, Diana Ross, Shirley MacLaine, Dolly Parton, Janet Jackson, Barbara Bush, Hillary Clinton, and more.
Thirty years later, by 2012, it was time for new beginnings. I called it the freedom I never asked for. I sold Lunch at The Ritz and moved to Providence, Rhode Island — the costume jewelry capital of the world — where I joined Gem-Craft, one of the industry's most respected jewelry manufacturers. There I had the privilege of working alongside the designers from Kenneth Jay Lane and Oscar de la Renta, designing couture runway jewelry that sold for thousands of dollars.
But something was missing. My need to express myself. My direct connection with the women who love what I do.
So I took a leap of faith, moved to Santa Monica, California, and started designing my brains out — for myself. The result is Ritzy Couture by Esme Hecht®: a line born from four decades of passion, craft, and an unshakeable belief that jewelry should bring you joy every single time you put it on.
If any of you think your best chapter is behind you — I'm living proof that it isn't.
I love what I do. Why not wear what you love?
~Esme