Our Story

Rhiannon Rives began in March 2019, as a healing outlet and desire to bring purpose, beauty, and light into the world following my younger brother, Nicholas, tragic death. Every pair sold gives back to the community in various ways, with a primary focus on suicide prevention. 

How it began, a story of loss and healing: 

In the Summer of 2018, my family was torn apart by the devastating suicide of my baby brother, Nicholas. Nick was big hearted, deep, philosophical-minded, quirky, and a beautiful sensitive soul that felt every thing for everyone. He is and will always be my favorite person, and is forever missing from me. 

As time moved forward, I still felt as though I was stuck on pause. I felt lost navigating a world where he didn’t exist. At the time I was also also a new school counselor and struggling to meet the needs of my students in crisis, when I was in crisis.

I took a leave of absence to work on healing, and yet found that I was too uncomfortable with idle hands.

I attended a local maker workshop where one of the crafts involved creating leather earrings from leftover scraps. I enjoyed the process so much, I paid extra to make one more pair. 

It was that one more pair, that bloomed into what Rhiannon Rives is today.

I went home and purchased a box of leather scraps from Etsy, pliers, and leather scissors and with a container of second-hand glass beads, "Rhiannon Rives" had started.

I began just designing earrings for holiday gifts. Friends loved their pairs so much that when March approached bringing what would be my brother's 20th birthday, and our first birthday without him, I decided to honor his life through sellinv pairs of my pinched leaf beaded earrings for 100% donations to The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. I named these earrings brave trees, after the Cherokee Brave dogwood tree we planted for him.

I raised over $1,000 in his honor, I found a space to bring his memory forward, honor his light, and share out story so that others struggling knew just how not alone they are.

And as they say, the rest is history…

This space continues to be my outlet for healing through creation and a platform to raise awareness, uplifting community causes, fundraising, sharing our story, and honoring Nicholas' memory through the love and healing we aim to put out to others.

Thank you so very much for being here with me on this journey. I hope it brings you joy to know your purchase of my designs, not only supports a small woman-owned business, but also creates a ripple effect of positive change and beauty that is much needed in this world. 

I am excited to see where we grow, and the change we continue to BE.

 Mad Love, Rhiannon Rives