The Smith mother-daughter duo is happy to call Raleigh, North Carolina home, where they have spent the last 17 years teaching themselves how to make jewelry & perfecting their craft.

As purveyors of handmade jewelry from up-cycled materials, they knew there had to be a way to continue the life of such unique + overlooked material without just throwing them in the recycling bin with yesterday’s newspaper. They paired some outside the box thinking with the Graphic Design degrees earned in their professional careers and started making earrings, necklaces, and bracelets with the vibrant prints that were once magazine pages.

In 2009 they took their nighttime hobby and created a limited edition jewelry collection of printed material to launch Zass Design (Zulay and Steph Smith). Seemingly overnight, the two built their sustainable jewelry passion into a successful brand.

Their philosophy in every creation is to respect the environment and the fundamental principles of eco-design: reduce, reuse, recycle. Every piece has a history, a starting point. Each piece is individual with a unique past, present and a future story of its own.

The duo has been featured in Stampington Co. Green Craft Magazine for their Rescued Cuffs, My Carolina Today, & has fulfilled orders from breweries such as New Belgium Brewing Company.  They are honored to have been apart of many wedding days with their up-cycled Wedding Invitation earrings.

Zass Design is the mother-daughter team that makes that relationship between recycled materials and your closet work so wonderfully.