Rebecca Zhao knows firsthand the power of the phrase: “Fake it till you make it.”
The third-year Northeastern University student became a jewelry-maker and entrepreneur almost by accident in her junior year of high school. But it wasn’t until she posted a video on TikTok captioned “Packing a fake order until I get a real one” that her creations got traction far beyond her circle of family and friends.
Zhao launched Elixir Jewelry, making and selling handcrafted jewelry and accessories featuring earthy motifs like flowers, mushrooms and butterflies.
In less than two years, Zhao amassed more than 100,000 TikTok followers, shipped more than 1,900 orders and made close to $100,000 in sales.
Although the 20-year-old had to slow down to focus on her degree, she plans to rebrand and scale her business after graduation, building on the skills she gained at Northeastern.
Rebecca Zhao, who currently studies marketing and entrepreneurship, plans to rebrand and scale her business after graduation, building on the skills she gained at Northeastern. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University
“Being at Northeastern, seeing how many student entrepreneurs we had, especially in my specific field, entrepreneurial startups, it keeps me motivated to keep on innovating,” she said. “Knowing how much work I put into it and how I was able to achieve so much growth in literally a span of maybe two years, I think that if I have a full-time experience, putting all of my effort into it, it can actually become something bigger than what I imagined.”
Zhao grew up in central New Jersey, the daughter of two chemists who expected she might pursue medicine. But she was always searching for a creative outlet, she said.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, while attending school remotely, she started seeing young girls like herself complain on TikTok about low-quality fashion jewelry that tarnished quickly or stained their skin. She decided to try solving that “pain point.”
She bought wire, pliers and beads, taught herself to make rings through online tutorials and quickly realized she had a knack for it. Soon she built a website and started Elixir Jewelry, which she describes as “grungy cottagecore.”
Zhao researched materials extensively. Many brands targeting her demographic, she found, used inexpensive bronze-based, gold-plated metals. She learned that 18K PVD gold-plated stainless steel was far more durable yet still affordable. She tested it herself, wearing pieces in the shower to make sure they wouldn’t tarnish or irritate skin.
At first, Zhao made rings, earrings and bracelets with wire and beads herself, which took a lot of time. Eventually, she found two reliable manufacturers — one in China and one in the U.S. — that could produce her designs based on her drawings.
“It helps that I speak Mandarin,” she said.
She used savings from previous part-time jobs to fund the business. Along the way, she found community and collaborated with other small businesses and influencers, who shared advice and supplier contacts.
“I feel like smaller businesses are more willing to help you out because they understand how hard it is,” she said. “I didn’t really get many responses from more well-known companies, which is expected.”
11/18/25 – BOSTON, MA – Rebecca Zhao, who studies business administration, poses for a portrait on Northeastern’s Boston campus on Nov. 18, 2025. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University
11/18/25 – BOSTON, MA – Rebecca Zhao, who studies business administration, poses with her jewelry on Northeastern’s Boston campus on Nov. 18, 2025. Zhao started a jewelry business back in high school and is preparing to take it to another level with the knowledge and skills she acquired at Northeastern. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University
11/18/25 – BOSTON, MA – Rebecca Zhao, who studies business administration, poses with her jewelry on Northeastern’s Boston campus on Nov. 18, 2025. Zhao started a jewelry business back in high school and is preparing to take it to another level with the knowledge and skills she acquired at Northeastern. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University
Northeastern student Rebecca Zhao used savings from previous part-time jobs to fund her jewelry business business. Photos by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University
When Zhao started college, she had to take a temporary break from her shop.
“Ever since I started college, co-ops and classes, I’ve been super busy, but in the summer, I do sell leftover inventory. And also I’m ideating a lot right now,” she said.
Zhao chose to study marketing and entrepreneurship at Northeastern’s D’Amore-McKim School of Business.
“I think it’s more the creative aspects of business, but I always knew I had a very entrepreneurial mindset,” she says.
Jen Guillemin, a faculty member at D’Amore-McKim, associate director of cooperative education and senior co-op coordinator, taught Zhao in a professional development class and remembers how excited she was to show her jewelry.
“Her face lit up as she pulled out her phone to show me some of her pieces,” Guillemin said.
Young entrepreneurs like Zhao, she said, gain valuable, hands-on experience in product development, marketing and sales through their ventures. These skills are highly transferable and often lead to strong co-op opportunities.
For her next co-op in spring, Zhao will be working with an engineering team designing landing pages for a company’s website. This experience, she said, will help her overhaul the Elixir Jewelry site.
Because she is also minoring in engineering design, she was already able to learn basic C++ coding and use software such as AutoCAD for 2D modeling and SolidWorks for 3D modeling. She also learned 3D printing.
“I can use those skills to create better prototypes for my jewelry, more intricate and more dimensional,” she said. Before, she would draw on her iPad, and manufacturers would often have additional questions about measurements.
Having better prototypes, she said, could help her move into working with real gold and other sustainable materials.
Zhao continues to take entrepreneurship classes that often require her to work in teams or with real small business clients.
“It makes me feel like, ‘Wow, I have experience already, and I can help someone else,’” she said.
Zhao is currently enrolled in a global social enterprise course, learning about corporate social responsibility and corporate social investment. She said she recognizes how important that is, even for smaller businesses.
She now feels empowered, she said, to attempt to scale her business, hire like-minded people and create not only a profitable company but also have a positive social impact.
“I think that’s what’s keeping me going,” she said. “I’m proud of it, so I want to keep that going and even if it fails in the future, I can maybe start another business that I’m interested in.”