American jewelry designer Kara Ross' relationship with Michelle Obama -- who's now been photographed wearing her work six times since November, WWD reports -- all apparently started with a piece of wood from the White House.
Having seen Ross' signature wood jewelry, the Chief of Protocols office sent her wood from the White House lawn, along with a request for custom pieces for the First Lady to give to visiting heads of state. The stunning results won over Mrs. Obama, who has continued to wear gemstone pieces from Kara Ross -- most recently, while listening to the President give the State of the Union Address.
As we've seen, Mrs. Obama's fashion choices can make a brand -- take Jason Wu, who designed her inaugural ball gown -- and Ross seems tremendously pleased. At the same time, with a successful, 20-year business under her belt, she's taking it in stride and trying to remain pragmatic, “I’d say later on maybe I could get into shoes or something like that,” she told WWD. “But I also feel like I don’t want to stretch myself too thin. I want to focus on what we’re doing now and really making sure it’s perfect.”
