Located at 33 Sutton Ave., East Providence, R.I., the Carla jewelry brand began its history in 1965. Carla Corp. was a family business founded by Nicholas J. DeCristofaro Sr. (1920 – 2002). Noteworthy, DeCristofaro previously had worked for Beaucraft Inc., also based in Providence. According to 1952 Polk’s Providence city directory, Luigi Russo (president), Nicholas DeCristofaro (secretary), and Rinaldo Saccoccio (treasurer) co-owned Beaucraft.

Since its inception, the company’s craftsmen handmade jewelry in 12-14 karat gold and silver, cultured pearls, and rhinestones. The designs of the sixties were classic – floral pins, filigree cameos, carved shell roses, and Egyptian Revival motifs. In the 1970s and 1980s, the jewelry became bolder with abstract and geometric designs, and later, runway jewelry. The maker’s mark includes CARLA and 1-20 12K (or 14K) G.F, or Carla S.S. on the back.

In the 1970s DeCristofaro’s son Nicholas DeCristofaro Jr. and son-in-law Ralph V. Fleming Jr. joined the company. Nicholas J. DeCristofaro Sr retired in the 1980s and Ralph V. Fleming Jr. became president and SEO of Carla Corp. Later, his grandsons Ralph V. Fleming III and Brian D. Fleming took the position of vice presidents. By the 1980s, the company already employed 165 people -goldsmiths, designers, jewelers and workers.

DeCristofaro’s sons and grandsons have successfully continued the family business, launching new jewelry lines and brands. Among the company’s new brands, for example, were TGC (1998 – 2009), C (2005), Cassandra (2005-2012), and CB (2015).

Carla Costume Jewelry Brand History