About Michele
About Michele . . .
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| View the "Wholesale Years..." I have always known how wonderful life is, and have never taken it for granted. I have two beautiful children that constantly remind me of how fortunate I am. I have a supportive husband, Andrew, who is the CEO and Co-Founder. and yes!... We do make everything by hand and we are very proud to say we are "MADE IN AMERICA" Michele Baratta’s jewelry is not just made by hand; it's made with heart…"Inspired by Heartfelt Emotion”. Her charms etched with symbolic images and inscribed with words and phrases are deeply personal expressions of her life. |
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Each piece of jewelry has a story, which brings it to life. It’s not just beautiful jewelry… it’s meaningful and has personality. Because Michele sculpts her designs by hand you will often see a partial imprint of her fingerprint. Her signature jewelry has a true artisan look and is never meant to be perfect… much like life.
Michele Baratta atHome is unique in the home party world. Unlike other jewelry companies we don’t purchase our jewelry from different vendors in other countries and then resell it. Our jewelry is "MADE IN AMERICA" Michele actually designs every piece. So, you will never see it being sold anywhere else.
Michele continues to change and expand her line in ways that are endlessly surprising and satisfying.
When a woman purchases a brand of jewelry with a person’s name behind it, there is a degree of wonder about what the designer. Who is she? What’s she like?
We invite you to see where the passion comes from. To see the long history of success as a designer.
The story really has very humble beginnings…in the living room of Michele’s Mom in Westlake Village, California in 1988. Michele was still in college.
...But first, here’s a little background on Michele. She attended the “Fashion Institute of Design in Los Angeles” with a degree in Fashion Design. Michele then attended the renowned “Otis Parsons” Art Institute in Los Angeles and Paris. A few years later she studied at “The Academy of Art in San Francisco”. Michele always knew she wanted to own her own business and decided to attend business school at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.
It was while working in a clothing store in Malibu that changed everything.
Michele started making jewelry for herself out of all different hand blown glass beads and silver wire that was supplied by her Mother who was a sales rep for a precious metal company.
The store's customers kept asking Michele where she got such unique jewelry. So, the owners asked if she could make some pieces to sell in their store. It was completely unexpected and was an immediate success!
They kept selling out of everything and they wanted more!
Michele’s neighbor caught wind of Michele’s success and asked her to participate in the Los Angeles Gift Show. Knowing that Michele had no money for such an expensive endeavor, he gave her a vacant space at the show. So, tools in hand, Michele and then boyfriend Andy, built a booth. The excitement was tremendous from the attending buyers. “Before we knew it, we had 40 stores... wanting to carry my jewelry line” and sales reps wanting to represent me.”
So, in the living room of Michele’s Mom, Michele Baratta Studios was born. The business has grown immensely since the day Michele made her first piece of jewelry. Michele Baratta jewelry has made over 1,000,000 pieces of jewelry since she started. And many of those who wear Michele Baratta jewelry are celebrities including: Felicity Huffman, Dakota Fanning, Alison Sweeney, Taylor Swift, Gabrielle Reese, Jennifer Garner, Courtney Cox, Kelly Pickler, Jennifer Lopez, Charlize Theron, Emma Roberts, Michelle Stafford, Teri Hatcher and so many more....
Michele’s jewelry has be seen everywhere from Department Stores like “Nordstrom’s and Marchall Fields, to thousands of boutiques around the country, to retail catalogs such as “Sundance, Coldwater Creek, Land of Nod and J Jill to name a few.
As a regular contributor to Robert Redfords Sundance Catalog Michele realized the power of translating an emotion through jewelry. "It's personal! It's not just pretty costume jewelry. My favorite part is the story behind each piece." Michele Baratta left Sundance Catalog so that she could make a difference in women's lives. "We have had a tremendous following due to the nature of that catalog. Women love the artisan, hand-crafted jewelry. Now, instead of being limited to a dozen pieces, we offer hundreds!"
Michele Baratta has been featured on “E!”, The View, Extra, Fox News, Montel Williams, NBC News, the CW, ABC News and has been shown in People Magazine, In Touch, Woman’s World, OK, Parenting, Forbes, Huffington Post, LA Times, Soap Opera Digest and more ...
Michele Baratta is a California born artist. “To know Michele is to embrace her contagious smile and love for people and the world around her.” She is a Mother of two beautiful children, Lily and Tristan, and to know her husband Andy is to experience his irresistible sense of humor and his enthusiasm for life.
A few years ago Michele and her husband, Andy, launched Michele Baratta atHome which offers women the opportunity to own their own home based business and sell Michele Baratta jewelry through home parties and online. “I wanted to give women the opportunity to stay home with their kids and make a living too.”
Michele Baratta’s popularity is due primarily to word of mouth and repeat business.
Read more about "Our Story"…