Randi Mates was a historian with a master’s degree in Material Culture, doing research on ancient metal work. She visited an Upper West side institute that only teaches Greek and Roman techniques, and she became fascinated with the ancient techniques and started taking classes. Her jewelry line Aesa was named for the Greek personification of fate or destiny. Randi said, "I like the idea of keepsakes or objects with different functions that outlive trend-driven things."She lives and works in New York and likes to visit museums and libraries for inspiration.