Adrianne Zahner

Bio: Adrianne Zahner founded Turtle Love Co. in 2008, and has built the company into a well-appreciated online destination for artisan jewelry, particularly wedding and engagement rings. Before founding Turtle Love Co., Adrianne practiced commercial real estate law. Adrianne is a classically-trained violinist, and is very familiar with the conflicts between an “artistic” mentality and the exigencies of the “business world.” In her “business world” training, Adrianne was salutatorian of her law school class. She graduated in 2002 from Chicago-Kent College of Law, which she attended on a full-tuition-plus-stipend scholarship, the largest merit-based scholarship then available to law students in the U.S. She holds a B.A. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and has lived in Portland since 2003. She has one daughter and four chickens.

Company Description: Turtle Love Co. is an online retailer of jewelry designed by independent artisans. Turtle Love Co. is unlike other online jewelers (and bricks-and-mortar jewelers) in:

(1) its unusual designs - TLC features artisan designs not available from most traditional retailers;

(2) its commitment to market-based social change - TLC’s offerings are made with recycled precious metals and responsibly-sourced stones; and

(3) TLC’s sense of fun - making a lifetime commitment (or just buying jewelry) is a big deal, but that doesn’t mean that the shopping environment needs to be sterile.