John Michael Richardson hails from Lafayette, Louisiana, where he grew up surrounded by music and theatre. He is a graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts.
After three years on Broadway in the seminal production of A Chorus Line, Richardson decided to expand his horizons and travel the world: from Palestinian refugee camps, through Israel, to the Greek Islands and Egypt, John Michael found himself in the Far East, exploring China, Hong Kong, Manila, and Bali, living with tribes in Northern Thailand, and trekking in Nepal.
Using creative elements discovered on his extensive travels, he returned to New York City and started designing jewelry on a small scale. Within a few weeks his company took off and he began selling to boutiques across the country. His work has appeared on national television and in major magazines. His jewelry has caught the eye of celebrities such as Whitney Houston, Elizabeth Taylor, Christine Ebersole, and Shari Belafonte, among others.
John Michael creates jewelry with an upscale fusion of East and West. His artisan crafted designs have origins in the countries from which they are collected and include hand-etched metals from Thailand, hand dyed cabibi shells from the Philippines, crystals from the Czech Republic and semi-precious stones from India. Stamping, plating, soldering and finishing are all done here in the United States and everything is hand assembled in his factory in Rhode Island.
