Julie started creating jewelry in the early 2000's when she first moved to NYC from her native California. Julie's love of collecting vintage jewelry, charms, and trinkets gave way to a collection of necklaces and earrings. This "charming" collection as she used to call it, embodied Julie's individual sense of style.

Through word of mouth, Julie's designs found enthusiastic fans and what started as a hobby soon began to eclipse her day job as a freelance editorial makeup artist. Behind the scenes on photo shoots, stylists began using her pieces in magazines, models began taking pieces home, and what was a private artistic pursuit soon gained a very public following. It was on a jewelry/beauty shoot for W magazine that Julie was first inspired by the dazzling sparkle of precious gemstones to embark on her career as a jeweler.

Encouraged by the positive feedback of her peers in the fashion world, she began to experiment with new designs and eventually enrolled in a 9-month comprehensive jewelry course in NYC. She learned the fundamentals of jewelry making: soldering, stone setting, and casting. It was when she received her first order from Anthropologie that she realized that jewelry making was her new calling.

Julie has a unique approach to jewelry making and designing. She takes her love of art, music and books into consideration when creating pieces. From the inception of JNJ to the present, her skill has been honed through years of experience, cultivating a dedicated customer base in the world of independent jewelry designers. Julie has also apprenticed with jewelers in NYC and has studied her craft with master jewelers Kate Wolf and Blaine Lewis.
Julie's vision at present is to create small production collections and one of a kind heirloom pieces. All pieces are made by hand in Western Massachusetts. Each piece of jewelry from JNJ has a story. Whether it is a zodiac constellation inspired by a turn of the century Swiss calendar or a ring inspired by a 13th century Romanov Royal. Each piece begins as either a piece of wax that is carved, molded and shaped, or from a piece of metal that is fabricated into a master prototype.

Each piece of Julie Nolan Jewelry is made in house using ancient techniques of jewelry making, and all stones are set by Julie. At present, JNJ is a 1-woman owned and operated studio. All precious metals used in the making of JNJ are recycled and all diamonds have a 100% traceable origin.