Following the warmth of the sun and with the seabreeze at our backs, we followed our hearts back to San Clemente, California. The birthplace of our founder and now the next stop on our journey, RG is excited to welcome you to our new shopfront by the ocean.
If you’ve been along with us for a while now, you know RG is a family business. Founded by Rachel Karcich in 2014 and joined by her husband, the brand grew organically for years, attracting like-minded jewelry lovers from all over the country — and world. Then in 2020, right before the pandemic, we opened up our flagship shop in Los Angeles’ Atwater Village. And despite pandemic setbacks, it’s been an incredible journey.
But as the business has evolved, so have our founders. Rachel, who grew up in San Clemente and got married here, wanted to bring RG’s timeless, sustainable jewelry to the place that helped shape her. Opening up the shopfront on Avenida Del Mar, the new opening is a full-circle moment.
“I always loved this street,” Rachel admitted. “There’s something so magical about it. It has this small town feel, yet it’s bustling with travelers and it’s just minutes from the ocean.”
An ever-growing inspiration, the new beachside location is already inspiring new designs. “Over the past couple of years we've been incorporating more precious stones into our jewelry. And since we're closer to the ocean, its inspired us to use gemstones such as aquamarines, sapphires, pearls, blue tanzanites and more emeralds,” Rachel explained.
But as RG grows, we’re continuing to reinforce our defining sustainability principals in all that we do. With a firm belief that jewelry doesn’t have to be mass produced or trendy, it's important for us to design pieces that are classic and can be worn for generations. "By using quality materials it ensures that our pieces won't end up in land fills" says Rachel, "We're also proud to make all of our jewelry right here in the U.S. which creates local jobs and helps fuel the economy."
For the making of our new location in San Clemente, we continued to embrace these values, hiring our friend, and French master carpenter Gilles Ouaniche to cut and shape all of the sustainably sourced wood slats that were used for our circular islands and counters.
“We had a completely blank canvas and designed the entire place from scratch,” co-founder Justin explains. “We love a clean, neutral aesthetic so it only seemed fitting to incorporate that into our physical retail stores. Much of our inspirations come from our travels around the world. The places, the people, the sights and smells. All of those things helped us mold our second location.”
Creating a jungle-like feel inspired by Mediterranean designs, the new location comes to life with over 40 trailing pothos plants that hang above your head. The effect is calming — creating a space that invites you to relax and explore our pieces and take your time finding your next beloved piece of jewelry.
“This new shop is really a refuge for us,” Rachel tells us. “The air is fresher, cleaner and lighter here. The ocean brings a sense of safety and calming effect. I find myself more at peace here and more connected with mother nature. The birds chirping outside our store and the sun beaming ever so perfectly. You can also see the ocean right outside our store front.”
Don’t worry, though, LA clientele won’t have to travel all the way to the beach to shop. Although, we encourage you to give us a visit! However, we did also just expand our Atwater Village location, doubling the size to accommodate all the amazing support we’ve gotten from the community and the travelers who find themselves wandering into our stores.
“A third location might also be in the mix in the near future,” Rachel hinted. “But you’ll just have to wait and see what else we have in the works. For now, we're excited to bring more beautiful pieces to the world. ”
As always, RG is available online, too. Shop our timeless collection of jewelry today and be sure to check out our pieces outfitted with gems.
