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September 23, 2024
APPLETON – Alyssa Jones, co-owner of Alyssa & Anna Fine Jewelry, said she has accomplished another one of her dreams – having a store on College Avenue in Appleton.
Previously located at 161 S. Riverheath Way, Suite 2900, Jones said she’d been wanting to relocate to a spot on College Avenue for a while, and when the right space became available, she didn’t hesitate.
“It’s perfect here,” she said of the 2,000-square-foot space. “We had about 500 people attend the grand opening – some people camped out starting at 7 a.m. Flattered is an understatement. I can’t express how grateful I am for this community and their continued support of my little business.”
How it all began
Jones opened the first Alyssa & Anna Fine Jewelry location in Oshkosh in 2014.
“It wasn’t the storefront I wanted, and it wasn’t the right location I wanted to be in, but the rent was cheap,” she said in a social media post last month. “Five years later, I moved that location to a new storefront, and I was able to open a second location in Appleton.”
Though she was proud to have two locations, Jones said the Riverheath Way location wasn’t a great fit either.
Alyssa & Anna Fine Jewelry opened a new showroom at 135 E. College Ave. in Appleton last month.
“Now, I opened my dream shop, in my dream location,” she said. “A decade later, we are finally here.”
Made-to-order jewelry
The jewelry studio, Jones said, focuses on offering unique, custom pieces made from sustainable materials and conflict-free diamonds and gems.
Jones said Alyssa & Anna specializes in bespoke (made-to-order) jewelry.
Customers can repurpose an old piece or create something completely new – a process she said is easy to start.
“You can just fill out a form on the website or come in with inspiration photos, and we’ll work off of that,” she said.
After that, Jones said customers are given a quote and timeframe.
Once a design is created, she said a 50% down deposit is required before production begins.
Then a 3D-printed resin model of the piece is created and cast in the metal of the customer’s choice.
The cleaning, polishing and stone setting, Jones said, are all done by hand, in the studio.
The finished piece is boxed, with an appraisal and can be shipped or picked up in person.
Charm bar
Alyssa & Anna also features a charm bar in the Appleton location where Jones said customers can make a bracelet or necklace anytime during regular business hours – 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.
The store also hosts parties for groups of six or more for bachelorette, birthdays, showers or team bonding activities.
Private parties, Jones said, can be booked before or after hours or on Sundays or Mondays when the store is closed.
More information, she said, is available on Alyssa & Anna Fine Jewelry’s website (alyssaanna.com).
A lifelong dream
Jones said she’s known from an early age that she wanted to design jewelry.
“I like the creative aspect of it,” she said. “You’re designing a tiny little sculpture. I like the gemstones, and I like everything about it.”
At the age of 20, after working as a freelance designer, Jones said she decided to create a brand of her own – Alyssa & Anna Fine Jewelry, which is a combination of her and her sister, Savannah’s, names.
Jones said when she was a little girl, she’d accompany her father, Thieu Nygyen, to his studios in Oshkosh and Stevens Point.
She said her father, a designer and goldsmith, fled the Vietnam War and immigrated from Saigon to America in 1976.
Jones said he became a goldsmith and inventor of a jeweler’s bench tool, which was sold through many major jewelry retailers.
“The first job I had was when I was five years old, and I was in his studio and he would pay me in $1 bills to draw jewelry for him,” she said. “It was just to keep me busy.”
Though Jones is the sole designer for the brand, she said some of her earliest memories consist of sitting in her father’s studio – carving waxes and sketching pictures of rings with her sister.
With a strong belief in traditional craftsmanship, using ethically sourced materials and that every woman deserves “the love and the magic that comes from handcrafted jewelry,” Jones said Alyssa & Anna began – “thoughtful and responsible fine jewelry, that is as unique and extraordinary as you are.”
Today, she said her father continues to create with her in Appleton.
“My dad is a master at repair work,” she said. “When goldsmiths at different stores couldn’t figure out a certain repair job, he was the one they would call to work on it.”
With an on-site studio in the shop, Jones said Alyssa & Anna Fine Jewelry affords them the opportunity to offer in-house jewelry repairs.
“We offer quick turnaround times – as fast as 48 hours, or even next day on some,” she said.
