Jewelry is all about the details and no one knows better than Adina Locketz, a freshman at UW-Madison, who is majoring in Fine Arts with a concentration in Jewelry and Metal Art and pursuing a certificate in entrepreneurship.
During COVID-19, Adina and her sister Emma, (UW-Madison CALS ‘25), got into arts and crafts. Making jewelry, originally as a bonding activity, Adina quickly realized her love for jewelry. As she wore her jewelry, her high school peers took notice and started to approach her to ask her if she was selling the jewelry she was wearing. Hit with a realization of a business venture, Adina quickly registered for an LLC and started selling online.
Adina’s Rings and Things LLC is a small business that primarily operates on Etsy and local art fairs. Selling intricate and thoughtful jewelry, her business is a top shop for gifts and personal jewelry. With a mission for sustainability, Adina is very conscious of her material sources. In addition, she always aims to upcycle second hand jewelry, giving beautiful crafts a second life. Adina donates 10% of profits from her business to different charities or community projects that are deeply important to her such as the Trevor Project, a charity dedicated to suicide prevention within the LGBTQ+ community.
Adina notes that her roots in Minneapolis helped her with the creation of her startup. “My high school was a big reason I was able to do this as they had a jewelry department. I was able to take classes and created an AP portfolio focusing on jewelry.” As a great start for her jewelry interests, Adina is grateful to have learned more on the art side of jewelry.
When transitioning to college, Adina notes that UW-Madison was one of her first choices. “Madison has a wide array of opportunities which was one of the reasons. The certificate in entrepreneurship was really big for me because I wanted to be able to market my products.” She also mentions that while a lot of universities have strong art programs, there is not usually a metals program. In contrast, the art department at UW offers a metals department that is recognized among art programs across the country. This difference was a huge opportunity for Adina.
Adina notes that the transition to college has been far from easy for her business. “As a first semester freshman in college, I have put my business on the back burner… I considered bringing some supplies and stuff to college because I really do love it but it wasn’t feasible.” However, taking her first class, Introduction to Entrepreneurship, Adina mentions how great it is to learn more about the business side of what she hopes to pursue in the future. What does the future look like for Adina’s Rings and Things? Adina shares that her after-college plans are to take the knowledge she has learned to push her business to the next level. The end goal is opening a fine jewelry shop that sells engagement rings and high-end quality products.
Adina never imagined she would be an entrepreneur. But looking back on her journey she does note that “passion” is the one thing that pushed her to pursue opportunities. “Entrepreneurship is a risky game. People burn out all the time. Startups fail all the time. If you love something, I think you should definitely at least attempt it and not throw away your plans just because it is risky.”
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