Rae Frye didn’t set out to become a jeweler. The West Virginia-born founder of Cival Jewelry Design Studio moved to Wisconsin in 2008 for a photography internship. While there, Frye started making jewelry out of found objects she sourced at antique shops and thrift stores. At makers markets, “I sold out almost every weekend,” she says.
Eventually, Frye wondered if she could turn her side hustle into a full-time business. When she lost her 9-to-5 job during a layoff, she cashed out her 401(k) to open a brick-and-mortar storefront for Cival in 2017 in Walker’s Point. She’s set to move to a new location in Bay View (2159 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.).
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Her unique jewelry line features designs that play with scale and structure. “There’s definitely a sense of balance that I’m interested in,” Frye says. “In photography, there’s the ‘rule of thirds’ and ideas about proportions. I apply those same principles to my jewelry, too.”
Today, Frye and her five employees split their time between creating affordable, ready-to-wear designs and custom fine jewelry commissions. “It’s about creating something that’s never been seen before,” she says. “We don’t have to follow the rules. We can create our own.”
Frye is excited about the Bay View move, enlisting Studio Ehr and Form Interiors to design an airy space featuring pale stone and warm wood tones. She says she’s hoping to see an uptick in foot traffic, given Bay View’s walkability. “The space felt like the right fit for our next chapter.”
