Jill Donovan was born in Baltimore, Maryland, was raised in Pensacola, Florida, and graduated from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she met her husband, Terry. She went on to get her law degree from the University of Tulsa and was a practicing attorney and adjunct law professor when Rustic Cuff was born. She taught herself how to make cuffs and gifted them to friends and family. Soon she was persuaded to sell her beautiful bracelets, and it turned into a booming business, with celebrities such as Miranda Lambert, Giuliana Rancic, and Kristin Chenoweth sporting her designs.