They are made out of 14-karat gold or white gold and ornamented with full-cut diamonds and semiprecious stones such as pink tourmaline and blue topaz.

Karen Lee of Greenwich never anticipated that making her own jewelry would turn into a business, but it did. Frustrated with the price of jewelry, she decided to design something on her own.

“What happened was I was flipping through a magazine, and I saw a pair earrings that I liked. I wasn’t going to spend an exorbitant amount of money on them. I never intended to have a business, but it just happened,” said Lee, who started Jewelry by Karen Lee in March of 2006.

Lee did some research and consulted with her father, a 50-year veteran of the diamond industry. After making a few pieces for herself, people around town began taking notice of the jewelry she was wearing.

Lee got a big break last month through a chance meeting while vacationing at Winnetu Oceanside Resort on Martha’s Vineyard. That encounter spawned a retail partnership with the resort.

“I was working out, wearing a necklace I made, and the director of fitness at the resort asked, ‘Where did you get that - on the island somewhere? It’s the perfect style.’ I said, ‘Well, I design them,’ ” Lee said. “Two days later I did a trunk show at their boutique. I just put my stuff on a white beach towel and it looked great.”

The Winnetu asked for more. Within two weeks, Lee was assembling more pieces to send to the resort.

The Winnetu is Lee’s first retail location.

“I think that’s the direction that I’m moving into. I think my stuff would do well at a hotel or resort boutique and be a really nice addition,” she said.

Until now, she has only sold her items privately and at trunk shows. Her collection includes necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings and prices range from $150 to $2,500.

Winnetu owner Gwenn Snider said Lee’s jewelry has been well received and the subject of discussion around the resort. A collection of Lee’s jewelry is featured at its boutique shop, “The Pavilion.” The resort plans to carry Lee’s jewelry next season when it starts in April.

“Her jewelry seemed to have the style for our resort - not overly ornate, and the price point was right so people don’t need to run to the bank,” Snider said. “When you’re in the business that we’re in you keep an eye out for things. There are a lot of great artisans on the island. Even though she’s not from the island, she has a nice aesthetic. It was serendipitous, but I’ve met artists on the beach. We like to give people a nice Vineyard experience. We’re very happy to have her jewelry, I think it’s very beautiful.”

Lee calls her earrings “Ear Candy.” They are made out of 14-karat gold or white gold and ornamented with full-cut diamonds and semiprecious stones such as pink tourmaline and blue topaz.

“Some of these are one-of-a-kind pieces with unique stones, which a lot of people appreciate,” Lee said.

Her designs are done “on the spot,” putting different stones together while standing at the counter of the stone supplier she patronizes in New York City.

Antoinette Matlins, author of “Jewelry & Gems: The Buying Guide” and a Woodstock, Vt., resident, described Lee’s designs as having a “sophisticated style” that uses some “under-appreciated stones.”

“She has blended precious metals such as 14- or 18-karat gold with interesting and affordable stones such as rose quartz or zircon, which is a lovely alternative to a diamond,” Matlins said.

Matlins said that many jewelers are selling direct to consumers online, something that Lee is considering doing through her Web site: www.jewelrybykarenlee.com. Selling online, as opposed to retail, returns better profit, she said, but she added that striking up relationships with hotels or resorts can be good for a jeweler.

“It’s is an attractive approach to marketing and promoting. Being at a resort adds a celebrity element to it,” Matlins said.

- Special Correspondent Harold Davis can be reached at harold.davis@scni.com or 964-2277