RKNYC Jewelry is a mix of high fashion statement pieces, rare gems, reworked vintage, and high quality dainty pieces made to be layered & lived in. I first collect all of the components; including vintage items, various chains & findings, then put them all together. I focus on one-of-a-kind pieces that can you collect & enjoy for years to come. Launched in 2014 in NYC, I took the leap of faith to take my life long hobby full time!

  My beginnings in jewelry making started at age 8, growing up in a small town in Ohio, when I was gifted a large vintage bead collection from my neighbor who passed. Having a severe nickel allergy, and not being able to afford fine jewelry, I taught myself to make my own jewelry with sterling silver findings from a local bead store to prevent skin infections. Being the shy artsy type, I tinkered, made jewelry and gifted to friends & family. I studied various arts & craft mediums throughout my youth which built my understanding of the minute details and appreciation of all things handmade. At 18, I took my first beading lesson at a local bead shop, made a necklace, wore it to my hostess job, a woman stopped me and went crazy over it! She offered to buy it and I sold it right off my neck! I started making jewelry for her, her friends, their friends, started doing trunk shows, making jewelry in between my college fashion design courses. It helped me pay my way through college! I studied metal smithing, fashion design & merchandising at Kent State University in Ohio.

 My mother & I collect crystals and we have a deep energy connection to natural gems. I have been collecting, drawn to, and endlessly inspired by unique crystals for as long as I can remember. Most of my pieces are inspired by the unique stones themselves, as I believe that mother nature is truly the best artist! It is important to me to not only offer beautiful stones, but ethically & at affordable prices. That is why I do not work with diamonds, and substitute with cubic zirconia. The trade is quite murky, and I only work with a few people who I trust. I source direct & purchase stones in large quantities to be able to pass those savings on to you. Most of my crystals of a certain type, are cut from the same larger piece, and once sold, I will never find the same exact stone again. I get many emails from customers who wish they bought a specific design, but since most are one-of-a-kinds, I sadly cannot recreate them, so when they are gone, they are gone. But with over 300 unique designs, with more added weekly, I am sure that I will create something you will fall in love with!

 My passion is to make you feel more beautiful & unique by creating one-of-a-kind treasures for you, because YOU are a one-of-a-kind and YOU deserve it!

 Years ago I met a Navajo Indian artisan and was blown away by the intricate handwork the family’s mosaic inlay skills. Please check out the Navajo Indian Made collection which includes exclusive designs only sold to RKNYC. I am proud to support their artwork & uplift the underserved indigenous community in the process with a means for them to make money through selling their craft.

 You may have seen us inside one of our shop-in-shops in Chelsea market or on Broadway in Soho. After 5 years of being a full-time or rotating brand inside Artists & Fleas, we closed up March 2020, due to Covid-19 restrictions as many businesses did. It has been very tough financially & mentally as I almost completely lost the business that took all those years to build. But I have not given up, and instead pivoted from retail to online, and spent the last 2 years creating a virtual video shopping experience, online & on Instagram, so you can shop from anywhere yet feel like you are seeing in person! As you all know, customer service & styling has been the cornerstone of RKNYC, and you should know that I personally respond to all messages as I love to connect with all of you 1-on-1! 

 Over the years I am proud to have employed over 30 young women & believe in the importance of mentoring and uplifting women. During the pandemic I was shook to my core, and decided to slice off 10% of all your orders and have provided over 20,000 meals to those with no access to food & to ACLU to fight for human rights.

 You may have recently met us at one of our pop-ups and hope to do more in the future. I am always on the lookout for in-person retail opportunities. Please follow along on Instagram as I post pop-up details & new jewelry treasures almost daily!

 Reach out anytime & thank you for supporting my small business & lifelong dream! I wouldn't have a business & be able to create jobs without your support ❤️ 

-Rhea Kulcsar

xo