When Richelle Zeidler first started crafting jewelry at her kitchen table, she wasn't thinking about starting a brand. She was thinking about beauty — the way a piece of hammered brass catches afternoon light, the way a hand-strung necklace can feel like an extension of the person wearing it.
That instinct became Rik Lei Accessories, a Philadelphia-based line of handcrafted jewelry that has since found its way into boutiques across the East Coast.
The Leap from Craft to Commerce
"The hardest thing wasn't learning to make jewelry," Richelle tells us over coffee in Fishtown. "I'd been doing that for years. The hardest thing was learning to think of what I made as a product — and then learning to sell it."
She took her first real step when she applied for a booth at a Maker Faire in 2012. The response was immediate. She sold out in three hours and left with a waitlist of customers and a new understanding: people didn't just want to buy her jewelry, they wanted to be part of the story behind it.
Building a Brand with Intention
Rik Lei's aesthetic is deliberate — minimal, architectural, and deeply influenced by urban Philadelphia. Richelle draws inspiration from the city's industrial heritage: the brick facades of Kensington, the wrought iron of Old City, the layered textures of South Street.
"Philadelphia has a rawness that I try to translate into the materials I use," she explains. "Brass, copper, leather. Things that age and show use and get better with time."
What's Next
With Rik Lei expanding into a full e-commerce operation and pop-up presence in New York, Richelle is navigating the familiar tension every growing creative business faces: how to scale without losing the handmade quality that makes the brand special.
"I'd rather grow slowly and stay true to what this is than rush and lose it," she says. "Rik Lei is me. I can't mass-produce me."
Find Rik Lei Accessories online and at select Philadelphia boutiques.
