Me&Ro jewelry designer reveals her activist side. She’s passionate, she’s determined—
and she’s turning up the volume on the issue of sexual violence.

Creativity comes easily for Robin Renzi, the prolific designer and CEO behind the New York City-based jewelry company Me&Ro. Taking her inspiration from ancient cultures, the natural world and “the human need both to adorn and to communicate through jewelry,” Renzi’s work is at once old and new. With contemporary designs blending with thousand-year-old beads, fine metals and precious stones come together in unique, elegant, understated ways. Renzi founded Me & Ro in 1991. Since then, her designs have adorned celebrities and found their way into feature films and several television shows. More significantly, however, they have raised public consciousness for issues which Renzi is deeply passionate about, including sexual assault and domestic violence.

Renzi is the creative mind behind Joyful Heart’s signature item, the Fearlessness pendant. A small pendant with a big impact, it is now worn not only by Joyful Heart founder and president, Mariska Hargitay, in her television role as Detective Olivia Benson on Law & Order: SVU, but by thousands of Joyful Heart’s supporters. Reunion’s Managing Editor, Meaghan Morelli, sat down with Renzi to discuss her commitment to Joyful Heart and the issues of violence prevention and healing.

Meaghan Morelli: You say that you are “inspired by the human need both to adorn and to communicate through jewelry.” Most of your work does seem designed to communicate.

Robin Renzi: Jewelry through the ages has traditionally been a deeply personal thing. It’s used to mark all the important milestones in life: marriage, birth, anniversaries. In ancient Egypt, when you died, you’d take your jewelry with you. It’s a very personal form of self-expression. Now, pieces are handed down from generation to generation and they hold so much meaning and history. Jewelry marks the important moments in our lives and then it outlives us. These pieces that I design, that I wear, someday, my daughter will wear them, and maybe her daughter. I’ll be gone, but the jewelry and the sentiment will remain. Not everything I design is necessarily meaningful; sometimes jewelry is just beautiful. But most of my work captures a little bit of my heart.

MM: And the Fearlessness necklace, Joyful Heart’s signature piece? It certainly carries a message.

RR: The Fearlessness pendant is like a tattoo. Wearers seem to infuse it with a real power or significance, which in turn gives strength to the wearer. It’s like a way to manifest the reality of courage—or a way for a survivor to embrace her courage, to acknowledge it. People don’t talk about this issue—rape, sexual abuse. I mean, it’s better now than it was 20 years ago, but people still don’t want to talk about it. And there are still so many misconceptions. But these girls wear this necklace now, they identify with it. Then other girls see the necklace and wonder “What does that mean?” It’s another way to get people talking about this issue.

MM: Mariska—or her character, Detective Benson—wears the Fearlessness pendant on her show, Law and Order: SVU. How did that come about?

RR: When Mariska saw the pendant—someone on the set showed it to her for the first time—she really related to the word and to the feeling it inspires. She’s so sensitive and she really appreciated both the aesthetic and what was behind it. The fact that she’s wearing the necklace now and taking on this violence every week on her show and through Joyful Heart—she’s busting down the walls around this. She’s dismantling the taboo of staying silent. She’s talking about it. She’s giving survivors a voice. And that gives young girls the courage to talk about it, too. It’s all about overcoming that fear.

MM: How did you come to support Joyful Heart? And in such a dedicated and meaningful way?

RR: Mariska called me up and asked if I would help her out. I said yes before she was finished asking the question. This is a cause that’s really close to my heart. One of my closest friends suffered through this. I mean, quite frankly, I know very, very few women who haven’t experienced some kind of sexual violence or exploitation. I have a daughter. This is a very important cause to me. And, you know, working with Joyful Heart makes me realize how important it is for people to make these changes themselves, instead of leaving it up to others. It’s like that Margaret Meade quote: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” I love that quote. And it’s true.

MM: By contributing so much of your time, effort and artistic talent to Joyful Heart, what change do you hope to promote?

RR: I want to end it. No more rape. No more abuse. Period. It should never, ever happen. Short of that, I want people who suffer this violence—every girl, every boy, and every woman—to have a place to go to get everything they need: medical care, comfort, healing, and refuge. I want them to be believed. I want them to know that they are not alone. When it happens, there needs to be this public outcry, this collective “How dare he!” We need to change the social consciousness. I believe Joyful Heart is doing that. With someone as visible and as fearless as Mariska at the forefront of this organization and this movement, we are starting to, like I said, bust down the walls and break through the taboos. Joyful Heart is making a real and honest difference. And I want to help in any I can.