Gina grew up in Battle Creek Michigan. She was one of the lucky few who knew what she wanted to do and she made it happen. She now resides in Brooklyn, New York and creates contemporary accessories that she has hand crafted by an amazingly diverse group of all woman artisans. Her inspiration is the city and her work is the juxtaposition of the delicate and the bold, the masculine and the feminine, the grit and the glitz. The jewelry is made form genuine Italian leather mixed with Austrian crystals and semi precious stones. She mixes brass, sterling silver and base metal with oxidized and 18K gold to create each unique jewelry piece which are destined to become future heirlooms. How Rebel Designs came to be. Gina Riley started by making jewelry in her studio apartment in Park Slope, Brooklyn. At that time, she designed and created little figurines, some of which looked as if their fists were raised in protest. They came in different hues, shapes, and sizes, and made her think of rebels. Gina began to make them into earrings, necklaces, charm bracelets, and broches, and quickly began to realize how fun and innovative they were. At that time, her brother was a Broadway actor and her first customer. His cast members took notice of Gina’s work and orders started coming in. It was then that Gina realized she had something great in her hands. She began to sell her Rebels at street fairs, art shows, and craft shows.