An Italian’s love for fine craftsmanship and quality workmanship is truly embedded in their nature. There is an Italian expression “fare bella figura”, meaning “to create a beautiful object” or more loosely, “to make a good impression”. This notion is exactly true for Ann Marie Dunn, an important part of her family’s Italian heritage that played a key role in the founding of J.R. Dunn Jewelers and what it has become today.

There is a quaint town called Torrebruna at the top of a hill located in southern Abruzzo. It exudes small-town charm with thirteenth century historical architecture and cobblestone streets, with just a few roads making up its center. This is where Ann Marie Dunn—Anna Maria Pelliccia at the time—spent her early childhood years. When she was just 10 years old, she immigrated from Italy with her parents and younger brother, Mario, hoping for new opportunities for their family in America. It wasn’t an easy journey by any means, but as a family they progressed together.

Little by little, Ann Marie overcame the many challenges, dedicating herself to mastering the English language so that she could aid in her father’s wood working shop creating custom kitchens. She was the only one who could speak English well in the family, giving her a crucial role in their quest for success in America. At just a young age, she would take the business calls, write up contracts, order materials, and accompany her father on appointments as a translator. She would even collect on payments when needed, all of which ended up molding Ann Marie into becoming the businesswoman she is today. Her mother, Fernanda, worked as a talented seamstress, often being called upon for the most challenging tasks. Fernanda worked late in the evenings at the factory, and so Ann Marie also took care of her younger siblings from making the evening dinners. She was always dedicated to doing whatever she needed to do to make things happen

Right out of high school, she went to work at IBM and landed a highly competitive and sought-after Secretarial job. This is where she would soon meet the love of her life, and Co-Founder of J.R. Dunn, Jim Dunn.

Those who knew Jim were familiar with the fact that throughout his life, he was incredibly passionate about going after something he wanted—and this was certainly true when he met Ann Marie. Jim was a new hire and kept asking his associates, “who is that girl in the green corduroy mini skirt!?” He kept at it until one day in the parking lot they crossed paths leaving work. Jim drummed up the courage to ask Ann Marie out for a Coven’s hot dog. You can imagine her surprise—asking a true Italian girl for a hot dog—an American food she had never eaten. And so, Ann Marie politely declined his invitation, and they went their separate ways for the day. A few days later, Jim saw Ann Marie leaving the parking lot and ran out, hoping to catch up and continue their conversation. As Ann Marie pulled away, Jim hurryingly placed his brief case on top of his car, briskly getting into it to speed away and catch up to Ann Marie. As luck would have it, he forgot his briefcase on the roof and took a sharp turn, causing it to go flying! The third time they spoke, he had the courage to invite her to go meet his mom for the weekend who lived in Massachusetts. Ann Marie politely declined his invitation, as she was brought up in a traditional Italian household with conservative values.

It turns out that fourth time was a charm. Imagine her surprise when Jim invited himself over to Ann Marie’s house for dinner. She could not believe his persistence, and eventually won her over. Jim walked into Ann Marie’s family home that evening and got to experience a true, Italian family dinner for the first time. After all, as an Irishman he was used to “good Italian food” being Chef Boyardee in his college years. Jim absolutely fell in love with their Italian culture and cuisine that night. He couldn’t believe the way that they enjoyed a delicious spread of appetizers, charcuterie, and big bowls of pasta—but then how it continued beyond that into a large plate of meatballs, roast beef, and fried peppers and on and on. The wine was flowing, the conversation was rich, and that was how their love affair first began.

They married in 1969 and decided to create their own destiny and make something of their very own inspired by Ann Marie’s Italian background of gold smithing and amazing Italian designs. “The art of jewelry was always very close to my heart, it was my passion,” said Ann Marie. Jim grew fond of the world of jewelry as well, constantly inspecting gems under a microscope. Together they dedicated their life savings to opening J.R. Dunn Jewelers, originally called “The House of Gems”, and had a very small wedding with what they had left.

The store was a small little home in Hanover, Massachusetts. They started by selling gold and semi-precious stones mostly. Ann Marie had a passion for cameos from her Italian roots—often created out of coral and seashells pulled from the Adriatic and Mediterranean Sea. “We just loved the hand carved workmanship of them,” said Ann Marie. “The artisanship was amazing, and we would only buy the very best carvings”.

“I didn’t want J.R. Dunn to feel like just another jewelry store,” she said. “If a piece touched me, I knew it was coming home with me.”

What truly set their little House of Gems apart from other jewelers was their commitment to only importing very unusual pieces of gold and jewelry that were unlike any other. The heart of gold jewelry is based in Northern Italy—Florence, Vicenza, and Venice. Together, Jim and Ann Marie would take trips to these sought-after areas of Italy and choose the best of the best. “Whatever treasure lit up my eyes and my heart we would get,” said Ann Marie. “Passion transcends to others… it’s contagious! It gave me a great deal of pleasure when those unique pieces lit up my clients’ eyes and they would find a new home.”

Ann Marie Dunn has earned recognition throughout her career for her leadership in the jewelry industry and her commitment to the South Florida community. She received the Heart, Soul, and Service Award from the Zonta Club of Greater Deerfield Beach for her dedication to advancing women in business and supporting charitable initiatives. Together with her family, she has helped raise more than $5 million for local organizations, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County, Food for the Poor, and the Humane Society of Broward County. Under her guidance, J.R. Dunn Jewelers has grown while remaining firmly rooted in its values as a family business and a strong sense of responsibility to give back.

J.R. Dunn has truly been a family affair from the start, and still is to this day. Since the beginning when Ann Marie and Jim first opened their doors, every family member involved was specialized in their own craft, each contributing to the overall success of the family business just like a typical Italian family. Their son, Sean, inherited his adventurous spirit and innovation from his parents, founding JRDUNN.com in the early 2000’s and leading the business to winning the title of Luxury Retailer of the Year in 2015. He has been a pioneer in digitalizing the business, making J.R. Dunn one of the first independent jewelers to successfully launch an e-commerce business, growing it into a major leading force of the business today.

Ann Marie’s youngest brother, Robert knew from a very young age that he had a passion for being creative. He originally discovered this with a charcoal pencil in kindergarten. “All of the kids were doodling, and I had this charcoal pencil… I was just amazed at the crunchy feeling of the charcoal hitting the paper,” explained Robert. With that charcoal pencil, Robert was able to draw a figure with great detail. He eagerly shared what he thought was a magic pencil with his classmate, only to find out he would draw a simple stick figure. It was then Robert discovered his creative abilities far outweighed an average person—it was not a magic pencil.

His creativity flourished throughout his childhood years, eventually growing into a renowned Designer. Robert joined the business when he was just 18 years old, originally working as a bench jeweler, carving wax models, casting, and doing repairs—eventually navigating his way into jewelry design and custom creations. It quickly became a pillar of the business. Robert won his first DeBeers Award in 1993, a prestigious honor in the industry. He won the DeBeers honor two more times before continuing to win 20 more awards including numerous AGTA Spectrum Awards, Modern Jeweler Award, JCK, and many others. During his tenure, Robert has created hundreds of original designs resulting quite a stir of happiness and joy among the ladies.

“Fare bella figura” is undoubtedly engrained in the various members of the family that play a part in J.R. Dunn Jewelers, from Ann Marie and the Pelliccia’s to Sean carrying on his father’s vision and pushing towards the future. This passion for quality workmanship to perfect a craft carries through the heartbeat of J.R. Dunn since its inception. When you walk through our doors, we invite you to discover the many unique jewels and pieces that each tell their own story. J.R. Dunn truly is a family affair.