Like most 16 year olds, Jessica Hicks had big plans for the summer. She planned to relax. Hang out with friends. Maybe catch up on some sleep. Fortunately, her mother’s plans for her were even bigger. She encouraged her teenage daughter to get off the couch and do something creative. Soon, Hicks found herself at a craft store in her hometown of Worcester, Massachusetts, buying beads and other jewelry-making supplies. What started as a way to pass the time became a passion. Hicks started selling her designs at craft and art shows. Fueled by her early success, she enrolled in the Worcester Center for Crafts and later at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, where she studied jewelry and metals.
After college, Hicks moved to Nantucket, where she perfected her craft by working with top jewelry designers and stores, creating and selling her unique pieces. Soon, word spread, and Nantucket insiders flocked to Hicks for unique custom pieces. But it wasn’t until her first child, Reese, was born six years ago that Hicks decided to branch out on her own. Besides selling her pieces at high-profile Nantucket boutiques like Vis-à-vis, Hicks’ welcomed clientele into her home to see her latest designs and order custom pieces. And when her designs started cropping up on Hollywood’s hottest stylistas, including Sarah Jessica Parker, Halle Berry and Eva Longoria, the business quickly outgrew her living room. So with a busy toddler and another baby on the way, Hicks opened her own boutique, Posh. There, local devotees can snap up their favorite pieces, and see the line the way that Hicks envisioned it: all in one place.
Not only are Hicks’ designs unique, so are her customers. “There isn’t one particular piece that women are drawn to. Every customer chooses something different. They are drawn to the originality of the designs. If I had to narrow it down, I would say the “Lorraine” collection seems to be a favorite of my customers.”
Now, the jewelry designer who has long been a Nantucket style star has become a media darling as well. Her designs have been featured in Lucky, In Style, Bride’s and US Weekly, among others. Jessica and her family continue to live the “good life” on the island. Where they plan to stay as long as they can.
Jessica hand makes each piece in her studio. She believes that when you buy something from a designer it should actually be made by the designer. Due to the high demand of Hicks’ jewelry please allow 2 to 4 weeks for your order. Special accommodations can be made. Please inquire via email.
