Pam Duke came to Venice from Great Falls, Virginia, in 1990. She quickly fell in love with boating and all things nautical. In 2006, she married her husband, Evan Duke, and in 2010, she gave up her career in the workers compensation insurance industry to join her husband’s family’s jewelry business, Classic Creations in Diamonds & Gold, which the Dukes started in 1981.
“At Classic Creations, we were buying jewelry from vendors,” Pam says. “I thought we should come up with our own line based on my pursuits here. That’s how I came up with Nau-T-Girl. Some think it’s ‘naughty’ jewelry because of the name, but it’s not. It’s an expression of who I am and what I love.”
Pam’s creative process involves studying sea life, printing out pictures of whatever she is inspired by, and then expressing her interpretation of what she sees.
“I look at pictures of seahorses,” Pam says, “then design the jewelry in my style. We make a wax, see how the model looks. I tweak it from there, make a mold, cast one and see if I like it.”
The jewelry is sterling silver, but Pam can work with any precious metal, and customers can pick any stones they like. Currently, 22 retail stores as far away as Maine carry Nau-T-Girl. Over the past three years, Pam has created seven original collections, with themes running from anchors, to waves, to the sun.
“When I look at my beautiful fishing hook bracelet,” Pam says, “it reminds me of being on our boat. The blue zircon stone represents the tropical water beneath us. My happy place is out on the water with friends and family. I hope my designs take my customers to their happy places, too.”
2387 S. Tamiami Trail, 941.525.4459, Nau-T-Girl.com
