I’ve been drawn to jewelry since I was seven years old.

I worked at my grandmother’s local church thrift store, where I was put in charge of the jewelry case. This is where it all began. I was able to add pieces, organize them, and put the entire display together—and to me, it felt magical.

It also felt incredibly special because I had been given the responsibility of watching over these precious pieces. I immediately became curious: Who wore this? Where had it been? Why was it given away for someone else to discover?

I wanted to know the story.

Since there was really no way of knowing, I began creating my own stories about where the pieces came from, who might have worn them, and where they may have traveled. This became my favorite kind of daydreaming.

As I got older, I naturally began collecting vintage jewelry. I had the advantage of spending my summers in St. Louis with my Auntie M, an antique dealer who bought and sold high-end antiques, including pieces for celebrities. I thought she had the most exciting profession in the world.

I would travel with her across the country in her gold station wagon filled with vintage treasures, helping her set up at antique shows along the way. In return, she would give me a little spending money—and I would head straight to the jewelry displays.

I bought the pieces I felt had a story to tell. Somehow, I felt like I could just tell when a piece had lived a life before me.

I still have that collection today.

In college, I started a company called Classic Vintage Treasures. I supplemented my income by hosting private events in people’s homes, selling pieces from my vintage collections. I would name each piece and give it the meaning I felt it conveyed.

It was a hit.

Celebrities began purchasing my pieces. I made it into stores and even magazines. I knew I was on the right path with jewelry, even though I was studying to become an architect. I had this deep passion for jewelry—I just needed to figure out how to turn that passion into a business.

Then one day, a client said to me, “I love this piece. I just wish it were real gold.”

She asked if I could make something for her in 14k gold.

Without hesitation, I said, “Yes.”

There was only one problem: I had absolutely no idea how to make fine jewelry.

So I decided to figure it out.

I drove to downtown Los Angeles and went to the jewelry district. I didn’t know anyone. I didn’t know which business to go to. I simply knocked on the door of a jewelry casting company with my design in hand.

They looked at me a little strangely, and I could tell what they were thinking: This girl has no idea what she’s doing.

They were right.

But I was confident and determined to learn. I explained that I wanted to become a fine jewelry designer and asked if they would help me understand how it was done. I knew how to draw. I had studied architecture. I knew jewelry. I just didn’t know how it was actually made.

The owner came out and listened to what I wanted to do.

And then something incredible happened: he taught me.

For the next couple of weeks, in between his own work, he showed me the process and helped me understand how a drawing could become a piece of fine jewelry. That experience changed everything for me.

And then came the magic: my first piece was made.

I showed it to my friends, who became some of my biggest supporters and helped me launch Tracee Nichols Jewelry.

Within my first three months, actress Juliette Lewis wore my Roman Courage Token. She was promoting a film at the time, and I suddenly had several images of her wearing my design during her press tour.

Somehow, a store discovered the piece and asked me to come in for a meeting. I brought everything I had made with me.

They bought it all.

I couldn’t have been more thrilled.

From there, things kept moving forward, and more designs followed.

Today, so much of my inspiration still comes from those early experiences—traveling across the country, discovering vintage jewelry, and imagining the lives those pieces had lived before they found their way to me.

Every Token I create begins with a meaning. But once you choose your Token and begin wearing it, it becomes part of your story.

That is why vintage and fine jewelry have always belonged together for me.

I mix my vintage chains with my Tokens—pieces from the past layered with pieces created today. Each carries its own story, its own meaning, and something personal I want to carry with me.

The pieces may come from different times, but the stories continue.

 Xo Tracee