Judith Ripka Biography : Age, Husband, How old, Birthday, Wikipedia

Personal Details Summary
Name	Judith Ripka
Age / How old / Birthday / Date of Birth / DOB	Ripka celebrates her birthday on December 25th every year. As of 2024, she seems to be in her early se.
Wedding & Marriage / Husband / Engaged / Spouse / Partner	Married multiple times. Check the full bio for relationship details.
Children / No. of Kids	3 sons
Ethnicity / Origin / Heritage / Race	White
Nationality	American

Wiki Bio / Profile Background

Introduction :

Judith Ripka is an enterprising businesswoman, who was one of the first jewelers to harness the potential of the television to sell her products.

Husband, Children and Marriage :

Judith was a single mom of three boys when she started her brand. She always put her family first and was very present for her boys growing up in their Long Island home.
In 1991, Judith married lawyer Ronald J. Berk at the Stanhope hotel in New York. Ronald had his own law firm in Garden City, L.I. He was the chairman of the Berk Foundation, a charitable organization. Ronald has earned a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University, a law degree from Georgetown University and a Master of Laws from New York University.
In 2011, Judith and Ronald, purchased an 5,652-square-foot house in Palm Beach, Florida, for $3.35 million. They subsequently demolished the house and built a brand new one in 2013.

Currently, Judith’s daughter-in-law often presents her brand products on QVC. Two of her three sons, Brian and David, also served as president of her brand’s wholesale division and chief operating officer, at some point in the past.

Early Life : Parents, Family and Education

Judith was born in New York. Her mother, a couturier used to work in Europe before immigrating to the US and was Judith’s ealy role model and inspiration.

Judith would rifle through her mother’s jewelry box from a very young age and thus started her dream of fashion design.
She would accessorize her clothing by tying a heart charm to her belt, hanging a pin off a chain or transforming a necklace into a belt and weaving it through the belt-loops of her jeans. While her peers played with dolls or played sports, Judith always accessorized. She always knew she was going to design jewelry some day.
She studied at Hunter College and the Parsons School of Design.

While she was still working at her day job, Judith found a jewelry maker to personally mentor her.

Business Career, Salary and Net worth :

Judith first began her brand as a single mother in her 20s, furiously piecing together what she could between family, her classes and a day job as an assistant jewelry buyer for The May Department Stores Company. Her first creations were for her friends but soon she started garnering clients.

She launched her first 18k gold collection in 1977.
She started selling her jewelry first in her living room which led to her first brick and mortar store in Manhasset, New York.
In 1982, the jeweler was the proud recipient of the De Beers Award for Outstanding Jewelry Design.

Early on in her career, Ripka recognized the power of advertising, taking out an ad in the New York Times that read, “Give your pearls a little culture,” and invited customers to bring in their old pearl necklaces and “see them transformed into a beautiful new necklace.”
In 1997, Judith was the female entrepreneur to feature her jewelry at QVC (Quality Value Convenience) which was a popular television shopping channel. QVC served as a pivotal platform for Ripka, catapulting her brand into the spotlight. Her personal connection with viewers during QVC appearances was a significant factor in her brand’s growth.
Xcel Brands, Inc. acquired Ripka’s company in 2014 with the designs continuing to have an active presence on QVC. The acquisition price amounted to $20 million, structured as $14 million in cash and $6 million in interest-free promissory notes due over five years, payable in cash or company stock at Xcel’s discretion. Additionally, the deal included 571,500 shares of Xcel common stock. Judith continued in her role as the brand’s chief designer.

In 2023, Xcel Brands and JTV, the national jewelry retailer and broadcast network, entered into a licensing agreement.The agreement will allow Judith Ripka fine jewelry products to be sold on JTV’s website and through live TV broadcasts on JTV.
Along with what she has sold for QVC and JTV, Judith has also designed custom pieces, such as the diamond, sapphire and ruby 18-karat gold brooch that Hillary Clinton wore at the 1997 inauguration for her husband, Bill Clinton.
Talk-show host, author and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey has regularly sported her Eclipse earrings which were also designed by Judith.

Some of the other big names that wear her brand are America Ferrera, Cindy Crawford, Courteney Cox, Debra Messing, Isla Fisher, Jessica Simpson, Kate Hudson, Naomi Watts, Miley Cyrus, Tina Fey and Vanessa Williams.

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