Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rickson Sharkey. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Rickson, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?

During my second year of art university, at 20, I was ambitious — and very anxious. Would anyone ever actually want to buy my work? Our professors suggested visiting the One of a Kind Show in Toronto, so I went wearing the first necklace I’d ever designed and cast: a cat necklace that doubled as a ring. (We’d been tasked to craft a dog, but I of course needed to bend the rules a little. 😜)

As I was walking down one of the isle at the show and a woman practically tackled me and yelled ‘oh my GODDESS where did you get your necklace, I love it, I HAVE to have one!” I sheepishly said that I made it and I would love to make her one, but I didn’t know how much to charge. She said ‘I don’t care, just make me one!’ lol So I gave her my strip of paper (now I know to always get potential clients contact in case they lose yours!) and she emailed me!

I figured out pricing with the help of my professor, remade the piece over a few months, and completed my very first sale. She went on to buy more work over the years, and even invited me to see her incredible jewelry collection at her home.

Rickson, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hi! I’m Rickson (yes, that’s my real first name!) and I created Rickson Jewelry over 20 years ago. I specialize in high-end fantasy jewelry. I started making and selling jewelry during my first year at OCADU in Toronto, quickly falling in love with carving wax and selling handmade wire jewelry on the streets during the summers.

I built my first display from four milk crates and a piece of plywood I found in an alley, draped in blue silk. I’d sit in a camping chair wrapping marbles and gems in sterling silver wire for tourists. One day, a bride in a hot pink dress stopped when she saw a heart with hot pink Swarovski crystals — her husband bought it and placed it on her right there on the street. That’s when I knew I wanted to play a small part in people’s real and fantasy lives.

Over the years I’ve honed my craft, but my core values have stayed the same: Love, Lore, and Legacy. I create pieces that connect us to the people, places, and passions we love — from our romantic and family relationships, to anime, DND, video games, pets, and personal symbols. Our personal stories or ‘lore’ if you will, is woven into each design through custom engravings, symbols, and meaningful gemstones. As a final flourish, Legacy ensures they last, crafted with traditional lost-wax casting in silver, gold, and platinum using gemstones chosen to stand the test of time. I’ve always imagined someone discovering one of my pieces centuries from now like buried treasure — getting that magical feeling of finding something you didn’t even know you were looking for.

The problem I solve is simple: my clients can’t find high-quality fandom jewelry and small, meaningful pieces that can truly be customized to their vision — or a maker who respects both their investment and their ideas. It’s not just about the jewelry I create, but how I create it. As a neurodivergent, trauma-informed artist, I offer a safe space for your ideas to be nurtured and grow. I don’t just want to make something beautiful — I want to help bring the parts of you that need light out into the world. ✨Many clients apologize and say, “I’m sorry for all the requests,” and I always laugh and reply, “I love requests — I love that you know what you want.” I’m happy to guide the parts you’re unsure about, but the details are my favorite part. That’s where the magic of custom design really happens. ✨

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

In 2021, a DND engagement ring I designed went viral on TikTok. I’d already supported my family as a full-time artist for 15 years, so the virality itself didn’t change everything — but it exposed the cracks in my business. Production was outsourced and scalable, but the CAD designer who created the original file refused to release it, claiming ownership and dramatically raising prices mid-viral surge. Suddenly, a silver ring cost hundreds just to produce — completely unsustainable. I eventually rebuilt the design with a new CAD designer, created molds (something I’d been told was “impossible” by the original CAD designer who was also producing the rings), and brought pricing back to something fair for clients.

At the same time, hiring a virtual assistant caused Etsy security lockouts because of multiple login locations. I was repeatedly locked out — once for two weeks while orders kept coming in that I couldn’t even see. Overwhelmed and behind, I put my shop on vacation for the first time in 15 years, not realizing it would break Etsy’s traffic flow. When I reopened, my sales dropped by half.

That period forced a huge personal shift. I realized misplaced loyalty, people-pleasing, and unprocessed stress were affecting both my business and my life. Therapy helped me set boundaries, regulate emotions, and make clearer decisions. I learned resilience, diversified beyond Etsy into my own website, shows, and teaching, and stopped relying on a single platform.

The experience was messy, stressful, and deeply educational — but it ultimately strengthened both my business and myself. Lesson takeaway: go to therapy — seriously. 😄 The financial cost and personal discomfort are an investment in you. Understanding your default patterns, learning to process emotions, and regulating stress doesn’t just help your business (you’ll make that investment back and more), it lets you actually enjoy the life you’ve built.

For years I was running on trauma drive, focused on proving myself and pleasing everyone else, barely noticing what I’d achieved. Now I can pause, feel accomplished, enjoy a day off or time with my kids, which is the whole reason I work for myself! I get to create meaningful pieces, build real relationships with clients, and do it without constant stress and burnout. And even carve out time to make exciting new and artistic pieces that don’t need to sell because my business is running smoothly. I can make pieces just because which is the joy of being an artist!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I love this question because my motivation has recently shifted. When my ring went viral, I hit serious burnout — and my fellow neurospicy folks will understand how easy burnout can feel when you’ve been running on trauma drive your whole life. I was fueled by fear: fear of being alone, fear of criticism, and a deep need to prove myself — that I was creative, successful, worthy.

In university, I asked my professors how to be both a working artist and a mother. Every single one said, “You can’t have both — you have to choose.” Naturally, I decided to prove them wrong (with possibly some demand avoidance spice thrown in😜). Twenty years later, I owned a home (I liked to call it ‘the house that jewelry bought’ — had four kids, and a stay-at-home husband. But behind the scenes, my marriage was falling apart despite years of trying to fix it. Eventually, I realized it was unsalvageable and harmful, and I chose to end it.

After four years of deep healing and therapy, I now live by the beach with my four kids as a single mom. One strange part of healing is realizing some of your drive was built on trauma — and when that heals, the motivation disappears too. The skills remain, but the “why” has to be rebuilt. For a while I felt like I was on autopilot, unsure what motivated me now that I wasn’t trying to prove myself or please everyone.

Recently, that answer has started to emerge. I feel the same excitement I had when I first began — but calmer, more grounded. Now I’m motivated by joy: the joy of creating, and imagining the joy someone feels wearing my work. I’m motivated by relationships — between maker and wearer, between the piece and the life it enters, between our inner worlds and what we bring into reality. My jewelry feels like something pulled from within, making the intangible tangible. And finally I’m motivated by the life I already have. I feel far more gratitude for this life that I ever have before. And I feel motivated, not to ‘keep it’, in the way that I might lose it. But to HONOR it. To say thank you by using discernment with my time and energy and respect the business I’m so grateful to have by caring for it like a mother does her child.

And yes, a little ego is in there too — I’ve worked hard to build real skill, and I enjoy showing it off. 😝 But mostly, I’m motivated by Love, Lore, and Legacy. ✨

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ricksonjewelry.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/Ricksonjewelry
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/RicksonJewelry
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickson-sharkey-1a47b312/
• Twitter: https://Twitter.com/RicksonJewelry
• Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/@ricksonjewelry

Image Credits

Photos taken and modelled by me Rickson.