Nearly sixty years of American jewelry artistry — rescued, curated, and now yours.
Some stories are too good not to tell.
Gem-Craft was one of the most respected costume jewelry manufacturers in America, founded by Gene Verrechia in Providence, Rhode Island — the costume jewelry capital of the world. For nearly six decades, Gem-Craft produced some of the finest fashion jewelry in the industry, manufacturing pieces for designers including Kenneth Jay Lane and Oscar de la Renta.
When Gene’s son Ron Verri took over, he didn’t just maintain his father’s legacy — he elevated it. Ron had an extraordinary gift for working with designers. He understood the creative process intuitively, knew how to translate a designer’s vision into a finished piece, and ran his shop with a level of artistry that set Gem-Craft apart from every other manufacturer in the industry. Under Ron’s roof, every element of the jewelry-making process was done in-house — including the hand-carving of the original models used to cast each piece. His staff were not just manufacturers; they were craftspeople and artists, deeply skilled and deeply proud of what they made. Working with Ron and his team was one of the true privileges of my career. He made the impossible look easy, and he made everyone around him better.
Ron passed away in 2024. His daughters, Jennifer Verri and Christine Higgins, stepped in to honor their father’s work with grace and dedication. They kept the spirit of Gem-Craft alive as long as they possibly could — a testament to how deeply their father had built something worth fighting for. But with shifting global markets, changing manufacturing landscapes, and the weight of an era coming to a close, they made the heartbreaking decision to close Gem-Craft’s doors for good.
I had worked at Gem-Craft during one of the most formative chapters of my career. When I found myself back in Providence for the first time since moving to California, I stopped by to pay my respects to Jennifer and Christine.
That’s when they told me they were closing.
My husband Michael and I looked at each other — and we knew. Nearly sixty years of meticulously conceived, creatively designed sample jewelry, representing some of the most storied names in American fashion — we couldn’t let it disappear. We purchased the entire collection on the spot.
Michael Barron is not just my partner in life — he’s now my partner in this venture. With his background from the Corcoran School of the Arts in Washington D.C., Michael brought an unexpected and extraordinary talent to the work: a gift for curation, display, and pricing that transformed how we present this collection. His color sense is remarkable, and it has since inspired him to create his own original line of beaded jewelry, also available in our Santa Monica showroom.
What you’ll find in the Gem-Craft collection at Ritzy Couture is something genuinely rare — sample pieces from nearly six decades of American jewelry artistry, available nowhere else in the world. Each piece was designed with intention, crafted with skill, and preserved by people who understood their value.
Now they’re yours.
~Esme & Michael