Jennifer Christiano

Jennifer Christiano

Jennifer Christiano, Founder and Owner of bon Christiani

Many people have inquired where I got the inspiration for bon Christiani. First, the name.  bon Christiani is actually my ancestral family name on my paternal grandfather’s side. It was shortened and “Americanized” at Ellis Island, when Grandpa and his family emigrated here from Sicily. Because bon Christiani always reminded me of the old-world values of honest, sturdy craftsmanship and elegant design, it is with pride that I chose to affix my original family name to my business.
 
As for the product line, that was born of a vision of creating something unique and beautiful that people could share with their dogs. Something that would express and celebrate the canine/human bond in a new and different way. I hit upon the idea of crafting matching collars and jewelry after searching for months for a fashionable collar for our German Shepherd, Padmasambhava. I figured that if I was going to have to create something new to dress him up, I might as well indulge in my passion for ethnic jewelry, and create matching pieces for myself. Then I thought, “Why keep this to ourselves?”

For the designs, I drew upon an experience from my grad school years, when I worked in the research section of the Oriental Institute Museum at The University of Chicago (the real life home of fictitious character Indiana Jones). My responsibilities included photographing a quantity of Nubian royal jewelry for the archaeological record. It was an experience I treasured and longed to give expression to someday. That “someday” evolved into bon Christiani.

The bon Christiani business philosophy is simple: to create the world’s most outstanding and most desirable luxury dog collars and matching people accessories, in a manner that respects and enhances the lives of our customers, our business team, our artisans, our fellow creatures, our earth, and ourselves. And…. to have fun while doing so!







 

bon Christiani