Welcome to Jess LC! I’m glad you’re here. My name is Jessica Lynne Constable and I’m a designer in Chicago, Illinois. If you’d rather watch a video of me explaining the start of Jess LC, click here.

My business name, Jess LC, comes from my name and initials. But I have to admit, in 1999 the company was originally named Starlette Jewelry. As a 15-year-old living in Rochester, Michigan, I taught myself to make “totally rad” star ankle bracelets at a local pool. While making these beaded ankle bracelets, four women bought them from me on the spot. Immediately inspired to earn my “fun money” selling jewelry rather than baby-sitting, I soon learned new jewelry techniques and sold my designs to teachers, students, and 12 stores across Michigan.

In 2003, I began college at the University of Michigan and studied Business Administration at the Ross School of Business. While struggling through operations management and corporate finance classes, I continued selling jewelry and re-named the business Jess LC. During my junior year, I interned in New York City at Macy’s Merchandising Group within Product Development. Though the internship was great, I resolved to take a CEO position after graduation… at Jess LC.

After graduation in August of 2007, I moved to Chicago and started Jess LC full-time. Setting up shop in a small studio apartment as a one-woman show was challenging (read: really hard). But after three years of hard work and a lot of growth, we now have a bustling online flagship store (selling worldwide) and we work with boutiques nationwide as well. We have also gotten some great press via Refinery 29 Chicago, Oh Joy, Real Simple and Daily Candy. People Magazine and US Weekly have featured our designs as well. And in 2010 we were nominated for the Chicago FGI Rising Star Award.

Recently (May/2011), we launched our Lake Shore collection - our first bag line. Though the jewelry began as a happy accident, this line was created with intention from the start. As a customer, I am a "bag person" to the core and the ability to now design functional bags that look as effortlessly chic as our jewelry is a dream come true. And I'm proud to say that the Lake Shore, Quincy and Belmont collections are all manufactured locally in Chicago.

In our Chicago workspace, my trusty assistant Susie assembles the jewelry for each order by hand, while Melissa and Michelle, our awesome interns, help the business by running the online order processing. 

In January of 2009, I started a blog called MakeunderMyLife.com. This site soon became the vehicle with which I spread my message of “designing a life with intention.” Because if there is one thing I’ve learned from eleven years of self-employment, it’s that we have the ability, in large part, to create the life we want. If you’re interested in pursuing your purpose, simplifying your life, or just being more intentional, check out MML and see if it resonates with you.

And if you just want to say hi and make a connection, please do! You can find me at jess@jesslc.com. I’d love to meet you.