Stonington Designs

What Stonington Designs does

Stonington Designs is a Connecticut-based artisan jewelry producer founded in November 2022 by Rich and Michelle Drake, operating under the primary brand "Drift by Stonington Designs." The company handcrafts wood jewelry, rings, earrings, necklaces, and accessories using a proprietary application of the Nantucket basket weaving technique, combining reclaimed and sustainably sourced woods (cherry, holly, koa, mahogany, purple heart, rosewood, walnut, bamboo) with brass cuffs, tungsten ring bands, and hand-dyed cane inlays. Product categories span bracelets ($55-$450), tungsten wood-inlay rings ($410-$510), earrings ($75-$125), necklaces ($88), and accessory hitch covers ($145). All production is hand-finished in the Connecticut workshop, with hand-etching available across multiple wood species for personalization.

The business operates a hybrid go-to-market combining direct-to-consumer e-commerce via Shopify, wholesale distribution through the Faire marketplace and direct B2B outreach (phone/email), and a retail network of 51+ stockists across 22 states including museum gift shops (MFA Boston, MIT Museum, National Building Museum, Chrysler Museum of Art, Nantucket Historical Association) and boutique retailers. Pricing is one-time unit-based across all SKUs, with gift cards in $100-$500 denominations and custom orders carrying a 2-3 week turnaround. The company runs a Military Spouse Weaving Program that supplies flexible at-home weaving labor from military families, functioning as both a social impact initiative and a distributed production model. Strategic positioning includes the officially licensed America250™ collection tied to the 250th anniversary of US independence and a 2026 product collaboration with Dune Jewelry producing the Drifting Dune Double Channel Ring.

Revenue mechanics rest entirely on unit-level transactional sales with no subscription or recurring contracts. The company is bootstrapped and founder-owned, with no external institutional capital identified, and operates with 1-10 employees from a Connecticut workshop. Founder Michelle Drake leads the creative direction, content, and blog, while Rich Drake contributes craftsmanship and process engineering; the company has also been associated with the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses alumni community.

Name

Stonington Designs

Legal name

Stonington Designs

Website

https://stoningtondesigns.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Stonington Designs is a Connecticut-based artisan jewelry producer that handcrafts reclaimed wood bracelets, rings, earrings, and accessories using Nantucket basket weaving techniques, sold DTC via Shopify and through 51+ wholesale stockists including museum gift shops.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Handcrafted Wood Jewelry

NAICS

Jewelry and Silverware Manufacturing (33991)

SIC

Costume Jewelry & Novelties (3960)

akta.pro primary industry

Alternative Materials Fashion Jewelry (Acrylic/Resin/Wood/Fabric/Ceramic) (CRAKABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Handmade/Craft Fashion Jewelry (Beaded/Wire/Woven) (CRAKABAD), Ethical/Sustainable & Recycled Materials Jewelry Manufacturing (CRAKAIAM), Custom Fashion/Costume & Alternative Materials Jewelry (CRAKAHAC)

Keywords

• Handcrafted wood jewelry
• Nantucket basket weaving
• Wood inlay wedding bands
• Reclaimed wood accessories
• Custom etched jewelry

Headquarters

HQ city

Stonington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Direct E-commerce Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales through Shopify e-commerce platform. Products include bracelets, rings, earrings, necklaces, and accessories at various price points from $55 to $510+.
2. Wholesale Distribution: B2B wholesale sales through Faire marketplace and direct wholesale orders to retail partners including museums, gift shops, and specialty stores.
3. Gift Cards: Gift cards sold in $100, $200, $300, and $500 denominations for gifting purposes.
4. Custom Orders: Custom design services for etched collections, personalized jewelry, and custom wood type requests for wholesale and retail customers. Custom orders take 2-3 weeks from design sign-off.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Stonington Designs produces handcrafted wood jewelry including bracelets, rings, earrings, necklaces, and hitch covers using traditional Nantucket basket weaving techniques applied to reclaimed and sustainably sourced woods. The company also offers custom etching services, personalized bespoke jewelry, gift cards, and DIY jewelry maker components, with all production carried out in their Connecticut workshop supplemented by a Military Spouse Weaving Program.

Product overview

Drift by Stonington Designs is a handcrafted wood jewelry company specializing in reclaimed wood bracelets, rings, earrings, necklaces, and accessories made using Nantucket basket weaving techniques. The product portfolio centers on four main jewelry categories: bracelets (including Clasp, Cuff, Bangle, and Stone Bead variants), rings (wood inlay tungsten wedding bands in the Drift sub-line), earrings (hoop and dangle styles), and necklaces (pendant and chain designs). Supporting product lines include hitch covers for vehicles, jewelry maker components for DIY enthusiasts, and custom order services. The brand operates across multiple themed collections including the America250™ Collection (patriotic licensed products), Americana Collection (heritage-inspired pieces), Etched Jewelry Designs (location and symbol engravings), Slivers Collection (reclaimed production scraps), Summer Blues Collection (coastal blue-themed), and occasion-specific lines for For Him and For Her. A notable collaboration with Dune Jewelry produces the Drifting Dune Ring line combining wood with sand elements. All products are handmade in Connecticut through a Military Spouse Weaving Program, with customization services available for custom etching on wood types including Cherry, Holly, Koa, Mahogany, Purple Heart, Rosewood, and Walnut.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Drift by Stonington Designs: Brand name used for the rings collection, featuring handcrafted custom wooden rings with tungsten inlay, memorial rings, wedding bands, and custom keepsake rings incorporating wood, sand, and meaningful materials.

Products and services

• Clasp Bracelets Oval-shaped bracelets featuring brass clasps with woven wood staves, available in various wood types including cherry, holly, mahogany, and rosewood with decorative end caps.
• Cuff Bracelets Open-stave woven bracelets with brass cuff construction, featuring intricate patterns and available in multiple wood combinations with custom etching options.
• Bangle Bracelets Fully round bracelets with open-weave cane design and woven binding details, featuring hand-dyed bamboo and wood combinations.
• Stone Bead Bracelets Bracelets combining natural stone beads (Picasso jasper, rhodonite, white turquoise, picture jasper) with handcrafted wood beads and etched designs.
• Wood Inlay Tungsten Rings Tungsten wedding bands and rings with single or double wood inlays in 4mm, 6mm, and 8mm widths, featuring cherry, mahogany, purple heart, rosewood, white oak, and ebony wood options for everyday wear and weddings.
• Slivers Earrings Small hoop earrings in Heart, Wave, and Cross designs with woven holly wood and cherry wood base, made from reclaimed production scraps.
• Seasons Hoop Earrings Hoop earrings in Small, Medium, and Large sizes crafted from wood and rattan with woven accents in various wood tones, featuring secure post backing.
• Patriot Necklace Horizontal bar pendant necklace in holly, white oak, and navy bamboo on gold-filled chain, part of the America250 Collection.
• Slivers Necklaces Pendant necklaces in Cross, Heart, and Wave designs with woven holly wood and cherry wood base from the Slivers reclaimed collection.
• Hitch Covers Wooden trailer hitch covers featuring custom inlay designs including military themes, location maps, fish motifs, and American flag, designed for trucks and SUVs.
• Jewelry Maker Components DIY components for Nantucket basket weaving style jewelry including wood end caps, brass cuffs, and pre-shaped wood staves in mahogany, cherry, ebony, and rosewood for hobbyist jewelry makers.
• Custom Etching Services Custom engraving and etching on jewelry pieces including personalization with names, coordinates, dates, and custom designs for gifts or retail stores, applied to cherry, holly, koa, mahogany, purple heart, rosewood, and walnut woods.
• Custom Orders & Collections Bespoke jewelry design service working with in-house designers to create custom-etched collections for gifts or wholesale partners, with typical 2-3 week turnaround from design sign-off.
• Gift Cards Digital gift cards available in $100, $200, $300, and $500 denominations for purchase on the website.
• Drifting Dune Double Channel Ring Tungsten double channel ring collaboration with Dune Jewelry pairing natural hardwood with selected sands and earth elements from Dune Jewelry's Sandbank.

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Dune JewelrycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Product collaboration creating the Drifting Dune Double Channel Ring collection. The collaboration combines Stonington Designs' wood craftsmanship with Dune Jewelry's sand and earth elements from their Sandbank collection. Rings feature natural wood paired with meaningful sands and earth elements in tungsten bands.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• TANE Organics: Mexico-based luxury wood jewelry and accessories brand using tropical hardwoods with hand finishing. Comparable in wood-only materials, premium positioning ($200–$700+), and design-led brand identity.
• Holzkern: Austrian DTC brand selling wood and natural-stone watches, bracelets and jewelry. Closest direct analog to Stonington Designs in alternative-materials men's and women's jewelry at comparable premium price points.
• JORD Watches: US-based wood and natural-material watch and accessory brand sold DTC and through gift shops. Comparable in reclaimed/natural wood positioning, premium gifting, and museum/boutique wholesale channels.
• Miansai: US-based premium men's and unisex jewelry brand combining metal and natural materials with handcrafted production. Comparable in men's jewelry focus, premium price points, handcrafted American production, and gifting-channel presence.
• Original Grain: US-based maker of wood and metal inlay watches, bracelets and bar accessories using reclaimed wood. Directly comparable in reclaimed-wood positioning, men's accessory focus, and gift-channel distribution.
• WEWOOD: Italian-origin wood watch and accessory brand with a sustainability narrative (plant-a-tree program). Comparable in wood-only materials, premium gift-channel positioning, and men's-skewed catalog.

Broad incumbents

• Kendra Scott: Large US jewelry brand with significant wholesale and boutique presence and a customizable product offering. Comparable in customizable/personalized jewelry, multi-channel DTC + boutique + wholesale, and gifting focus.
• Alex and Ani: Established US-made meaningful-jewelry brand with a strong wholesale and gift-shop presence. Comparable in American-made positioning, meaningful/storytelling products, and museum-retail and boutique distribution.
• Pura Vida Bracelets: Large-scale artisan-made bracelet brand with a social-impact artisan production model. Comparable in handcrafted artisan jewelry, charity/cause marketing, and multi-channel DTC + wholesale distribution.

Emerging players

• Dune Jewelry: US keepsake jewelry brand incorporating sand and earth elements, and the explicit collaboration partner for Stonington's Drifting Dune ring line. Comparable in mission-driven positioning, premium price points, and gifting/wholesale mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/StoningtonDesigns
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stoningtondesigns

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Stonington Designs