EditorsNov 07, 2025
Piece of the Week: An MVP’s Sapphire Tennis Necklace At the 2025 World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto sported a custom necklace made by California retailer Happy Jewelers.
TrendsOct 22, 2018
Jewelry Brand to Know: Studio Rua
Founded by an antiques dealer, this new line takes inspiration from ancient art and technique.
Designer Ruth Leach utilizes the lost wax casting technique to create jewelry in which one can see “traces of the maker.”
London—Vintage and antique jewelry dealer Ruth Leach spent nearly 13 years in the business before seriously pursuing her jewelry-making hobby.
The resulting Studio Rua, launched over only the last few months is, naturally, inspired by antique adornment but not from any era she sells. Instead, ancient jewelry inspires Leach, due to both its focus on symbols and its erudite, handmade quality.
“One thing that’s very important for me,” she explained, “is the ability to visually see in the pieces the maker and the traces of the maker. I work with a lot of red wax, which means you can see the fingerprints and a lot of the tool marks in the finished pieces, and you see that a lot in ancient art and ancient jewelry. I’m really interested in kind of keeping that sense of the maker in the piece.”
Having taken silver-smithing courses in the past, Leach embarked on learning the lost wax carving technique in April through a five-week course in London’s Hatton Garden jewelry district.
“My jewelry buying background is much longer than my actual jewelry making background,” Leach said. “I’m still brand-new to jewelry designing and jewelry making.”
Leach’s novice status works to her benefit in creating pieces that feel primitive, imperfect and most importantly, handcrafted.
“Lost wax casting is a process that’s been used for thousands of years by many different cultures so by using that I think it helps give a lovely tactile, handmade quality,” she explained, citing ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman jewelry as her biggest inspiration.
The symbols Leach gravitates toward are astrological, celestial and figurative. Her mix of pendants, cocktail and signet rings depict suns, stars, zodiac signs and faces, the latter of which is most interesting to the designer.
“At the moment I’m loving faces and figurative jewelry. (My work) is simple and quite classic. I want pieces that will become go-to pieces in someone’s wardrobe, and that go with a lot of other pieces and possess a sense of the artisan with a nod to ancient traditions.”
The Studio Rua Instagram account has only been active since August, and the website launched at the end of September, but already, Leach’s work is resonating with consumers. Independent boutiques began inquiring about orders before the website even
went up, and Leach has been working on several commissions from clients who message her directly through Instagram.
Working in bronze makes Studio Rua jewelry an easy purchase—the entire line currently retails for under $260 per current exchange rates. Bronze appeals to Leach for its warm, gold-like color, and its economic accessibility makes it the perfect medium for learning as she goes and creating large pieces.
Bronze is also ideal for creating work affordable to modern women like herself who buy their own jewelry.
“I buy a lot of jewelry for myself and invest in contemporary pieces I love, so I wanted to make sure it was priced in a range that if I was looking at it I would say, ‘I can afford that,’ basically. I wanted to place it in the marketplace at a price that’s not unreachable.”
Leach’s aim going forward is to establish herself with a couple of wholesale accounts while refining the work she’s making now, honing her key pieces rather than creating lots of different collections.
She’s also interested in working with solid gold in the future and currently uses 18-karat gold plate for specific bespoke pieces. Stone-setting is also on the agenda for the fledgling brand; Leach has a particular interest in lapis lazuli and gray, rose-cut diamonds.
Find Studio Rua on Instagram or its website.
Working in bronze makes Studio Rua jewelry an easy purchase—the entire line currently retails for under $260 per current exchange rates. Bronze appeals to Leach for its warm, gold-like color, and its economic accessibility makes it the perfect medium for learning as she goes and creating large pieces.
Bronze is also ideal for creating work affordable to modern women like herself who buy their own jewelry.
“I buy a lot of jewelry for myself and invest in contemporary pieces I love, so I wanted to make sure it was priced in a range that if I was looking at it I would say, ‘I can afford that,’ basically. I wanted to place it in the marketplace at a price that’s not unreachable.”
Leach’s aim going forward is to establish herself with a couple of wholesale accounts while refining the work she’s making now, honing her key pieces rather than creating lots of different collections.
She’s also interested in working with solid gold in the future and currently uses 18-karat gold plate for specific bespoke pieces. Stone-setting is also on the agenda for the fledgling brand; Leach has a particular interest in lapis lazuli and gray, rose-cut diamonds.
View this post on InstagramOut and about with my new little friend #studio_rua
A post shared by S T U D I O R U A (@studio_rua) on Oct 21, 2018 at 1:21pm PDT
Find Studio Rua on Instagram or its website.
More on Trends
The Latest
IndependentsNov 07, 2025
Foundrae’s New Palm Beach Location Is a ‘Golden Solarium’The brand’s seventh location combines Foundrae’s symbolic vocabulary with motifs from Florida’s natural surroundings.
FinancialsNov 07, 2025
Watches of Switzerland’s H1 Sales Up 8%The retailer also shared an update on the impact of tariffs on watch customers.
Brought to you by
Jewelers of America Aligns New Mission to Create Meaningful Impact for MembersFrom educational programs, advocacy, and recent MJSA affiliation, Jewelers of America drives progress that elevates businesses of all sizes.
SourcingNov 06, 2025
Pink Tourmaline Bracelet, Emerald Suite Take Top Spectrum Honors Pink and purple stones were popular in the AGTA’s design competition this year, as were cameos and ocean themes.
Weekly QuizNov 06, 2025
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
IndependentsNov 06, 2025
Greenwich St. Jewelers Hosts Raffle Supporting Food RescueAll proceeds from the G. St x Jewel Boxing raffle will go to City Harvest, which works to end hunger in New York City.
IndependentsNov 06, 2025
Cornell’s Jewelers Names New PresidentCourtney Cornell is part of the third generation to lead the Rochester, New York-based jeweler.
SourcingNov 06, 2025
De Beers’ Production, Sales Increase in Q3 De Beers also announced more changes in its upper ranks ahead of parent company Anglo American’s pending sale of the company.
WatchesNov 05, 2025
Shinola President Steps Down Just as He Starts Former Signet CEO Mark Light will remain president of Shinola until a replacement for Ulrich Wohn is found.
AuctionsNov 05, 2025
Taylor Swift’s Engagement Ring Designer Makes Her Auction DebutKindred Lubeck of Artifex has three rings she designed with Anup Jogani in Sotheby’s upcoming Gem Drop sale.
FinancialsNov 05, 2025
Pandora Posts Modest Q3 Sales Growth Amid ‘Weak’ Consumer Sentiment The company focused on marketing in the third quarter and introduced two new charm collections, “Pandora Talisman” and “Pandora Minis.”
FinancialsNov 05, 2025
Brilliant Earth’s Q3 Sales Climb 10%The jewelry retailer raised its full-year guidance, with CFO Jeff Kuo describing the company as “very well positioned” for the holidays.
Policies & IssuesNov 04, 2025
Supreme Court to Hear Tariffs Case WednesdayAhead of the hearing, two industry organizations co-signed an amicus brief urging the court to declare Trump’s tariffs unlawful.
MajorsNov 04, 2025
Danny Clark to Become Stuller CEO, Succeeding Matt StullerStuller COO Belit Myers will take on the additional role of president, with all changes effective at the start of 2026.
ColumnistsNov 04, 2025
Peter Smith: What Do Birds Have to Do With the Price of Gold? Smith cautions retailers against expending too much energy on things they can’t control, like the rising price of gold.
IndependentsNov 04, 2025
Weston Jewelers Heads to Fort LauderdaleThe family-owned jeweler will open its fourth store in Florida in late 2027.
CrimeNov 03, 2025
Men Dressed as Construction Workers Burglarize Jeweler’s Home The NYPD is looking for three men who stole a safe and jewelry valued at $3.2 million from the home of a jeweler in Jamaica Hills, Queens.
MajorsNov 03, 2025
Matthew Rosenheim Takes Over as JA Board ChairThe trade organization also announced its executive committee and five new directors.
CollectionsNov 03, 2025
Muse’s ‘Have a Heart’ Collab Returns, Now With DDGThe “Have a Heart x Diamonds Do Good” collection is championed by model and humanitarian Flaviana Matata and will benefit her foundation.
AuctionsNov 03, 2025
Kashmir Sapphire Ring Tops Christie's Online AuctionThe ring, set with a nearly 17-carat Kashmir cabochon sapphire, sold for $1 million.
CrimeOct 31, 2025
5 More Arrested in Louvre Heist, Jewelry Still Missing The suspects were rounded up in Paris and its suburbs on Wednesday night, but none of the stolen jewels were recovered with them.
Recorded WebinarsOct 31, 2025
Watch: How to Master Google Reviews for Your BusinessExperts share top tips on how to encourage positive reviews and handle negative feedback.
Supplier BulletinOct 30, 2025
Protect Your Customers and Your BusinessSponsored by the Gemological Institute of America
CrimeOct 30, 2025
29-Year-Old Man Charged in Multiple Seattle-Area Smash and Grabs The suspect faces charges in the August robbery of Menashe & Sons Jewelers and is accused of committing smash and grabs at two pawn shops.
Lab-GrownOct 30, 2025
Alison Lou’s New Collection Uses Lab-Grown Diamonds and ResinThe “Lumière Fine” collection was born from designer Alison Chemla’s interest in the transformative power of light.
TrendsOct 30, 2025
Amanda’s Style File: A Haunted HalloweenShow off your spooky side with these 12 festive jewels.
