<Tr> <Th> Net worth </Th> <Td> US $1 billion (April 2018) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Children </Th> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <P> Carolyn Rafaelian (born 1966 / 67) is an American - Armenian entrepreneur and businesswoman . She is the founder of the accessories and jewelry company Alex and Ani, and the owner of the Belcourt of Newport and Carolyn's Sakonnet Vineyards . </P> <P> Rafaelian's father opened a jewelry factory in 1966, in which Rafaelian and her sister worked . Over time she helped her father design pieces and produced original designs herself for her father's jewelry manufacturing company Cinerama . She attended Prout Memorial High School for Girls (later known as The Prout School). She attended the University of Rhode Island between 1987 and 1989, and then she transferred to and graduated from the American College in Los Angeles . In 1994 she joined her father's business, and eventually began to work on her own line . In 2002 Rafaelian became co-owner of Cinerama with her sister . Rafaelian's designs became the main seller for the company, and in 2016 Alex and Ani bought the manufacturing facility for an undisclosed sum . </P>

Who is the founder of alex and ani