Nancy Street has worked as a leader in advertising, market research, and investments for big Wall Street names, from American Express to Merrill Lynch to J. Walter Thompson.
She says she cultivated a cool demeanor dealing with the financial world’s ups and downs, though she’s had an even temperament from early in life. What her all-business attitude (and résumé) doesn’t show is her interest in history and culture—which Street says relates to her being a classic people person.
Street’s latest role utilizes all of her life’s experiences: mentor, business partner, mom and wife. She is co-founder, CEO, and chief curator at Lolovivi, a jewelry company that she says seeks to create beauty and highlight the individual.
For Street, Lolovivi is a fresh brand within jewelry because it is committed to giving to charity and seeing the humanity in each client through its gender-neutral focus.
“Our tagline is ‘United in Love,’ and that’s meant to be about the people in your life but also about all of us,” Street says. “I’m a big believer that it’s my responsibility to try and make the world a better place in whatever way I can.”
The New Yorker grew up “as a supereasy kid,” Street says. She was the third child after two “challenging” brothers, so her parents enjoyed raising an even-tempered kid, she says. Their household was filled with music, books, and long conversations at the dinner table, Street recalls.
Her first jewelry memory was of her great-aunt’s wedding band, a piece Street describes as “absolutely exquisite and elegant.” It was made from yellow gold, and the band itself looked like it was made of leaves, she remembers.
Going to an all-girls high school gave Street her first sense that she was empowered to achieve anything she set her mind to, she says. She attended Brown University as an undergrad, majoring in American civilization.
“I’m fascinated by the story of our country and what makes people who and what they are. My major was about history and culture and religion—all of the things that shape people,” Street says.
She moved back to NYC right out of college and got a job as a research assistant in an advertising company.
“I learned from that job that if you want to be successful selling any product, you need to really understand what motivates people and what they care about,” Street says. “I also learned that I could cook one thing on Sunday and live on it for most of the week.”
Her career eventually took her everywhere from Fortune 100 companies to her own startups. “I was so lucky to work for people who taught me how to take an idea and frame it out as a business,” Street says. “I also learned that my favorite part of running a business is the people. I love mentoring people and seeing them progress.”
Street founded Lolovivi with designer Ron Rosen, who’d had a long jewelry career but was looking to start a new brand. “He and I got to a point where we did everything we could to make it work, but while doing that, we got a better idea,” Street says. “We approached our investors and brought them Lolovivi.”
Lolovivi is a partnership of Street’s business experience, Rosen’s design knowledge as the founder of two jewelry companies, and their mutual desire to create a brand that takes modern sensibilities and lifestyles into account.
“Clothes are simpler yet more stylish, contemporary and classic at the same time. There’s a comfortability to it. I also love that clothes are less gendered along stereotypical lines,” Street says. “Ron and I really wanted to make jewelry that is designed for the way people live and dress today, and I’m so excited that we’ve developed this very relevant and yet distinctive look.”
Another important design element to Lolovivi is its signature motif: two artistically rendered interlocking hearts. For Street, this symbol speaks to love in all forms and for all people.
“My family is diverse in almost every way you can imagine—race, religion, sexual orientation—so this idea that each of us is of value and deserving of love and acceptance is very personal to me,” Street says.
“Ron and I decided to make this a core part of our business, so we donate from every sale to organizations that work for racial justice and LGBTQ+ rights,” she adds. “Giving jewelry is generally about love in some way, but we hope to spread the notion of love in a larger sense as well.”
Top: After a career in business, focusing on marketing and advertising, Nancy Street is now partner in the jewelry brand Lolovivi, which highlights gender-neutral styles and supports local and national organizations. (Photos courtesy of Lolovivi)
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