There’s a brand new jewelry designer in the western industry named Riley Donnelly, and she’s here to stay.
Riley recently opened her business, RD Designs, to provide beautiful western pieces that reflect the rodeo lifestyle and uplift people in their faith. A breakaway roper herself, she offers unique breakaway roping jewelry, entering a niche market that has been greatly underserved in comparison to other rodeo disciplines. In addition to stunning gemstones and rodeo designs, her pieces often include Bible verses that she hopes will inspire the wearer and remind them, wherever they go and whatever happens, their God is there with them.
Since she was a small child growing up in Elk Point, South Dakota, Riley has always enjoyed creative activities. Whether it was drawing, painting, or just doing crafts, she found herself drawn to imagining what could be out of the tools she had before her, a skill set she continues to use today as she sketches potential necklaces or bracelets and then brings them to life. Silver smithing, however, is a newer venture for her, and the remarkable jewelry she has already created points to her innate abilities.
Riley grew up around rodeo and remembers she and her sister accompanying her dad to jackpots he was roping at. She and her siblings and cousins were always playing horseback, riding their horses around, and helping each other practice.
As she grew up, she began competing in rodeos herself, first at the 4-H level, then junior high, high school, and finally college rodeos. She had a fabulous pole bending horse named Cocoa during this time that helped her win buckles, saddles, and qualify for nationals several times. It was this horse that instilled her deep love for rodeo and drive for competition.
When it came time for college she continued pursuing her rodeo dreams, joining the rodeo team at Black Hills State University. College was when she found her love of breakaway roping and began to pursue it more heavily, with the help of her breakaway horse Cocoa. She also continued to stay well-rounded during this time, entering multiple events, such as competing as a header in the team roping, running barrels, and goat tying.
Her senior year she switched her academics to online, enabling her to go to Arizona and start pursuing the pro rodeo world. During her first summer of pro rodeo she learned she was pregnant and decided to put the pro rodeo world on hold so she could focus on becoming a mom and starting a family with her fiancé.
She credits her faith, her fiancé, her amazing and supportive family members, and her friends, for helping her create a life she has now with her family (her baby is now 7 months old) and new business.
Riley has great plans to continue to grow her business and expand her offerings. You can see pictures of her jewelry on her Facebook page. Make sure you follow it to watch her drops, when her jewelry is for sale, as it has been selling out fast.
Photo credit for family photo to Caley Marie Photography.
