Occasionally, she would apply her designing skills towards making jewelry for friends at Christmas, and on each occasion, a business developed as soon as the jewelry appeared in public.
One year, Hitchcock created a set of funky, psychedelic earrings for her annual gifts and within weeks, was receiving orders to create them for Henry Bendel, (Fragments asked to represent her), and several stores around the country including, MOMA.
Her actress friends were helping her to meet the deadlines for each order. It was madness! They couldn't meet the demands without setting up a factory, so after a year, she went back to performing.
But fate had already determined that Hitchcock's jewelry passion would become a career she never planned on, and, in 2002, history repeated itself. Once again, unique pieces that Hitchcock had created exclusively for her friends, began to reap a following and the phone began to ring -- friends of friends had seen a piece and begged her to make them something in her signature style.
This time Hitchcock heeded the call, and back in New York City from upstate New York, she resumed designing jewelry full-time.
Stores pleaded with her to create exclusive collections for them, beginning with Zoom, an upscale store in tony Southampton, where the designer's pieces were quickly snapped up.
One friend then bought several pieces, some of which she then passed on to Robin Williams and wife, and Susan Sarandon, who gave bracelets to their daughters. Sarandon was so taken with her daughter's gift that she requested one for herself -- a beautiful carnelian and mandarin orange garnet necklace.