Jessica Hicks: Jewelry Designer to the Stars

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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Jennifer Roy, GoLocalWorcester Lifestyle Editor

“This is who I am”. Worcester-native jewelry designer, Jessica Hicks, has sold her pieces to Hollywood starlets including Paris Hilton and Sara Jessica Parker, but her most loyal customers are from her hometown.

“I don’t think too much about the fact that celebrities buy my designs, I do it because it’s therapeutic”, she said. Hicks grew up in Worcester where she developed a love of creating unique earrings, bracelets and rings. She attended Holy Name Central Catholic High School and perfected her craft at the UMass Dartmouth. Hicks eventually moved to Nantucket where she opened her boutique, POSH, which showcases her one-of-a kind creations.

Hicks told GoLocalWorcester she still ships lots of jewelry to Worcester fashionistas, where her best customers live.

“The islanders are supportive of local artists, so I’m able to thrive here”, notes Hicks. Hicks dreams up her designs on the beach. She says the ocean, sea breeze, and shells inspire her, as well as what she would like to wear.

“I love wearing very large earrings, but I create smaller versions for people who don’t”, she said. Unlike fashion designers, Hicks does not create new pieces for the seasons. Rather, she works when she is inspired. She says that every one of her creations passes through her hands, and that means a lot. Her customers are very important to her as well. She recently began creating less expensive pieces using brass instead of silver and gold, so more people could afford her works.

Her arm candy bracelets feature pink, white and yellow brass and retail for $190 each, as opposed to the same bracelets made with silver and gold which retail for $350 to $390. Hicks also created a piece in which 20 percent of the proceeds goes towards Autism research.

If you haven’t seen one Hicks designs in a fashion magazine, you might have a chance soon. The artist is planning a “celebrity push” in the upcoming weeks. She will be gifting her jewelry to actors and singers with upcoming birthdays and movie releases including Emma Stone, Jessica Biel and Reese Witherspoon. According to Hicks, her business benefits when one of these "it" girls are photographed with her designs and it is mentioned in a magazine. Her daughter Reese, 8, asked if she could send one of her pieces to her favorite singer, Selena Gomez.

“I haven’t sent her anything yet, but I plan to!” laughed Hicks.