Carolyn Rafaelian The bangle billionaire. Rafaelian in the Alex and Ani store on the first floor of her Cranston, Rhode Island, headquarters, just  miles away from her late fathers jewellery factory. Image Jamel Toppin for Forbes. When Alex and Ani founder and CEO Carolyn Rafaelian walks into a room, you hear her before you see her. She clinks and jangles her way into her office under layers of bracelets, necklaces, cuffs and rings in both precious metals and coated brass, 1. The biggest noise emanates from her celestial chic jewellery brands bestselling products Charm bangles, of which it has released thousands of iterations, to commemorate lifetime milestones or show off zodiac signs, sports team allegiances, favourite charities and religious totems. Peace, love and big bucks, since these stackable bangles, made from recycled scrap metal, cost customers about 3. Rafaelian is moving over 1. Its not the money thats the driving force behind this, Rafaelian says in her Rhode Island accent, which rhymes force with boss, unable to distract from the math that belies that claim. From its headquarters in unassuming Cranston, Rhode Island, Alex and Anis revenues have skyrocketed from 5 million in 2. Pitchbook, that was recently 2. Rafaelian says she believes each piece is imbued with energy that can have a positive effect on its wearer she has a priest and a shaman bless her inventory, but her markups on 7 inches of contorted wire show her to be a master marketer. They dont really sell jewellery, says Brent Cleaveland, executive director of the Fashion Jewelry Accessories Trade Association. They sell positive energy. The bracelet is just a vehicle. Every Alex and Ani bangle comes with a meaning card. A Buddhist om symbol, for example, signifies God, higher power and the oneness of all beings in lifes cycle. A simple sailboat charm bestows peace to its wearer in times of change. And this universe of good vibes encourages fans of the brand to collect them all. Bangles and bracelets make up 8. Alex and Ani jewellery as a fundraising tool makes up about 2. Thats how Rafaelian surged from a one woman band run out of her fathers Rhode Island factory basement into Americas only jewellery billionaireand the No 1. Forbes list of Americas Richest Self Made Womenowning 8. Shes enjoying the trappingsfixing up a 5. Newport that she will open as a museum and testing out new grape varietals at her Sakonnet Vineyards in nearby Little Compton. An IPO awaits. If I wanted to do that, were primed, were ready, she says. We can pull the switch at any time. The company has released thousands of variations of its signature bangle,  retailing for 3. Watch Zodiac Online Forbes' title='Watch Zodiac Online Forbes' />Its rare that the public markets ever encounter a CEO like this 5. Rafaelian says she was the sort of kid who had an imaginary friend. And while she was raised in the Christian Armenian Apostolic faith, Rafaelian borrows bits and pieces from other religions and traditions. She keeps dried bundles of sage in her office drawer to burn when she needs to smoke out negative energy and a healing quartz crystal on a file cabinet behind her desk. Not quite everyones cup of herbal tea. But Rafaelians products let a generation that craves authenticity wear their affinities on their sleeve. Theres no ambiguity that jewellery like Alex and Ani has become something the consumer covets now, says Christopher Burch, who backed his former wife Tory, as well as Alex and Ani competitor Bauble. Bar. Its no longer an afterthought. Its part of her wardrobe. Little known fact The worlds costume jewellery capital was, for generations, Americas smallest state. Just 3. 0 years ago, roughly 8. Rhode Island. Like much of American manufacturing, its mostly gone overseas, but Rafaelian traces her roots to this business and this state. Her father married into the industry, working for his brother in law manufacturing brooches and earrings for big names of the age like Trifari and Monet. In 1. 96. 6, the year Rafaelian was born, he founded his own company, Cinerama Jewelry, based in Cranston, just outside of Providence. He made costume jewellery of all kinds, but this son of Armenian immigrants was best known for American flag lapel pins he sold wholesale. You can still find Ralph Rafaelians badges, with their tiny Swarovski stars and stripes, on e. The Forbes Global 2000 is an annual list of the worlds 2000 largest publicly listed corporations. Below is a compilation of French companies featured on the list in. Bay. She and her four siblings were sent to the factory basement as punishment for misbehaving strong willed Carolyn remembers hours attaching little paper cards to the backs of ostentatious 1. It was torture, she says with a laugh. Download Switched At Birth Season 4 Episode 16. She escaped to the University of Rhode Island, then to the now defunct for profit American College for the Applied Arts, before moving to New York City at the age of 2. She worked on her first jewellery line from a Tribeca apartment above a bookstore, scoring small deals with the likes of Bloomingdales. ZODIAC_SEA_DRAGON_BLUE_WRIST1-1024x682.jpg' alt='Watch Zodiac Online Forbes' title='Watch Zodiac Online Forbes' />Tom Hanson right sought to catch the Zodiac killer, who was terrorizing the San Francisco throughout the 1960s and 70s, by enticing him to attend a screening of his. Check out worlds top best 1200 watch brands, highend watchmakers, expensive luxury watches, auctions, bands, boxes, events, magazines, museums, straps and winders. Her designs couldnt have been further from her fathers faux pearls and floral brooches. I created what I wanted to wear, Rafaelian says. I wanted cocktail rings. I wanted sterling silver. At 2. Rafaelian got married. At 2. 5, she had her first daughter, Alex. By the time her second daughter, Ani, came along less than two years later, she had returned to Rhode Island and the stable if unsexy costume jewellery sector, designing private label earrings and necklaces for mall stalwarts like Bebe, Express and Victorias Secret. She took up residence in a corner of Cinerama, her fathers factory. As she was filling 1. New York, Ralph Rafaelian was trying to stay afloat, unable to compete with cheaper Asian manufacturing. I remember the day that I looked back and I realised that every single person in the factory was working on the orders that I was bringing in, Carolyn Rafaelian recalls. In a split second I realised, Oh, my Godtheyre counting on me. Watch Jaws Online Idigitaltimes there. On the side, she continued to dabble with her own label, named after her two eldest daughters. I was calling out to them, getting their attentionAlex was in her high chair, Ani was probably in a bouncer, she says. It was, like, thats it. For over a decade, she kept the family businesss lights on through those unglamorous private label orders, making six piece earring sets for 3 that would then sell for 1.