Suburban mom sparkles as high-end jewelry designer

You might see her driving the carpool at St. Raymond's or sitting in the stands watching her son play football at Prospect High School.

But Tracey Mayer leads a double life.

When she's not an ordinary Mount Prospect mom, Mayer morphs into an internationally renowned high-end jewelry designer, whose collections are sold at Nordstrom, Koros (a chi chi Chicago store), the Wynn Las Vegas, and are worn on the red carpet by celebrities like Jay-Z.

She also designs a more affordable line exclusively for the Home Shopping Network.

Mayer's business is expected to triple in size this year. In January alone, 18 new stores signed on to sell the Tracey Mayer collections.

Yet Mayer, 48, a native of Wausau, Wis., is humble about her success.

"I really truly love what I do and I feel blessed. At the same time, it's very easy for the people on the outside to say, 'Oh, you're so lucky.' But it's a lot of hard work. I still sweat about how I'm going to pay my bills," she said. "When I hear people say, 'I absolutely love that piece of jewelry!' That's why I do what I do."

A free spirit and clothing designer since high school, Mayer moved to Chicago 22 years ago to work in the advertising business. While in Chicago, she met her husband, who is from southern India. When she traveled there with him, she was in awe at the quality of work the Indian smiths did.

Inspired to get back into jewelry and clothing design, Mayer opened her own retail store in Arlington Heights, where she sold her custom-made home decor and sterling silver women's jewelry, all made in India. When the store beneath her closed in 2001, she decided to close, too, and focus on her jewelry line.

It took nearly three years until she was ready to re-enter the business, but when she did, she had found a place in the market that matched her style.

"I've worked hard to find my niche," she said. "It's not for everybody. It's very unique and different. But the people who like it and appreciate it know what goes into these special pieces."

Those pieces could be a $1,700 hand-carved pearl necklace, a $70 silver ring or $450 men's cufflinks featuring coins from India from the 1700s (she makes sure her customers are told about the history behind the pieces).

There's a strong Asian influence to Mayer's pieces, which attract everyone from Wall Street types to rappers. Her jewelry is 95 percent pure silver, which is 2½ percent more pure than sterling, giving the metal a brighter, whiter finish.

"It's just another thing that sets it apart from everything else," she said.