About Marisa

Designer Marisa Pellegrini studied fashion at the American College in Lucerne, Switzerland and continued her studies at the University of Arizona, where she fell in love with the beauty of the Southwest. She has always had a passion for creating beautiful things; and traces her jewelry-making experience back to when she made and sold rings made from colorful telephone wire at the age of 8. As an adult, Marisa enjoyed a satisfying career in the non-profit arena, while pursuing her passion for jewelry design in her spare time. Several years ago, the time was right for Marisa to devote herself full-time to her fashion and jewelry design business, and "Expect Compliments" was born.

Marisa crafts her jewelry by combining colors, textures and shapes into wearable works of art. She sources her materials globally, seeking out unusual, but affordable stones, beads, crystals and other embellishments. With the same focus on both beauty and value, she has established a global network of accessory suppliers for her hand-selected lines.

The name "Expect Compliments" was chosen based on the enthusiastic feedback from her customers over the years and their descriptions of what happens when they wear something Marisa created.  It gives her great pleasure to design or select just the right piece of jewelry or fashion accessory to make each wearer look beautiful and feel special.