About The Designer
Standing at a charity event in the summer of 2002, Jude Steele and Frances
Gadbois never dreamed they would be owners of the widely sought after
JudeFrances Jewelry. Both women were successful in their own careers before
their love of jewelry brought them together. Frances was the owner of her own
interior design firm, while Jude was running Haute Rocks, a small jewelry store,
sold inside a successful Southern California boutique. After several
conversations and many hours of research, Jude sold a family diamond and both
girls invested $4,500 of their own money to start JudeFrances Jewelry. The idea
was to create jewelry that every woman was comfortable wearing, no matter what
the occasion. Today JudeFrances boasts a line of over 350 pieces of white and
yellow gold mixed with incredible diamonds and semi–precious stones.
Frances, who was born in the English country side has always favored the more
romantic classic styles, while Jude's Texan born upbringing creates the edgier
side of the line. The girls admit that they are as different as white gold and
yellow gold, but both agree that this has only enhanced their partnership and is
what drives these two to the success they have achieved. These diverse tastes
have created beautiful jewelry enjoyed by many celebrities, including Oprah
Winfrey.
A true American dream story, JudeFrances Jewelry is now a multi-million dollar
company. Jude handles the sales end of the business, while Frances runs the
operations. When they are not overseeing their staff, Jude and Frances are
traveling around the world looking for inspiration and designing their next
line. If that's not enough, they're also the face of this exciting company and
visit each of their stores to greet their customers personally and promote the
line. The women are confident, personable and more importantly, determined to
continue creating for the woman who wants something unique, yet affordable.