Alyssa Jones started her custom jewelry business in 2013, but she has been designing jewelry since she was 5.
Jones says her father Thieu Nguyen, who immigrated to the United States in 1976 from Saigon, is a goldsmith who would keep her and her sister Savannah busy while he worked by paying them a dollar for pictures they drew of jewelry. It inspired Jones’ career.
When Jones finished at Oshkosh West High School, she took a computer aided design class and started designing jewelry in her parents’ basement.
In 2015, she opened a small store in Oshkosh at age 20. Recalling the days in her father’s studio with her sister, she named the business Alyssa & Anna Fine Jewelry.
Jones says opening a store at that age was daunting but adds, “I had nothing to lose.”
Her dad helped out by working for free her first year in business.
Jones says the store in Oshkosh has since relocated to a larger space, and she opened a location in Appleton — first in RiverHeath, and then at its current College Avenue storefront.
The growth put her on a path that recently landed her recognition as the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce 2025 Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Jones says the business is not done growing; she and her husband, Zack, have ideas about another location and expanding online.
The Appleton store features a charm bar, and the business offers jewelry repair. But it’s custom work that drives the business.
“Our main focus is engagement rings and wedding bands,” Jones says. “People come in, they give us a budget, they tell us styles and stuff they like and then we work with them on creating a piece.”
Working with clients includes creating a 3D resin model of the piece and offering guidance on styles, stones and more.
What differentiates Alyssa & Anna is that its eight-person staff completes all work in-house, from design to creation of the finished jewelry. That helps with the repair business, where sending work out could lead to reluctance for some customers.
Jones says marketing has largely been through word of mouth and on Instagram, where Alyssa & Anna has 26,000 followers. She says they draw customers from as far away as Chicago.
“I like that we get to make art every day and that I get to work with my family and people that I genuinely enjoy working with,” Jones says. “I love our staff.”
