Katrina Kelly is a jewelry designer based out of New York. She shares with us her love for architecture and the reason she designs jewelry with and old world flair.
What inspired you to design jewelry with an antique influence?
I believe it was inevitable for my designs to have an antique influence. I grew up surrounded by antiques. My parents exposed me to a mostly classical ideology. They are aficionados of French furniture, Persian rugs, Venetian glass and so many other collectibles. My father especially has an aesthetically astute eye. My parents instilled this love in me at the age of 10 when they bought me a French Louis XV Mahogany bedroom set for my birthday. Growing up, almost every Sunday we went to church then went to the antique market. I was taken to estate sales and antique auctions. They could not get enough “antiquing”. I recall turning rugs over to see the knots at a very early age. I certainly did not appreciate any of these activities until much later. In college I think I rebelled and intentionally studied Modernism. I became well versed in The Bauhaus School, Dadaism, Surrealism, and just anything Modernist and Postmodern. I feel that a very subtle hint of Modernism comes across in my pieces as well. As much as I appreciate all these movements philosophies to break from the past and realism, it is the past innovations and style that I am always drawn to historically and aesthetically. It is my ideal notion of what beauty is. One inspiration of my designs is a period when I lived in Florence, Italy. A more non-classical antique inspirational experience was when I worked at a Turkish company where I was surrounded by jewelry and objects inspired by the ottomans period. When I studied in Florence years ago there was nothing more powerful and awe-inspiring than walking by Filippo Brunelleschi’s dome every day. This type of technique and skill stands the test of time in construction and style. I feel it challenged my mind to be quite driven. I never grew tired of seeing any works from The Renaissance or any other master’s work. They constructed intricate timeless pieces that are to be admired for eternity. I hope that my work will be thought of this way as well.
How do you feel your pieces fit into current jewelry trends?
Since my jewelry is timeless, antique, and more classic in style, it does not lend itself to any current trends. It is the polar opposite of a trend. I stay away from trends for I want my jewelry to be heirlooms and timeless. They need to retain an intrinsic value. That being said, classic antique beauty is always a trend. It will retain its significance. I design pieces that I will be proud to wear now and when I am 100 years young.
I notice that you use plenty of diamonds, how do you ensure that your diamonds are conflict free?
Since the enactment of the Kimberly Diamond Act of 2003 most vendors sell only conflict free diamonds and most designers only buy conflict free diamonds. I buy diamonds only from suppliers who comply with the provisions of the Kimberly Diamond Act and are legitimate sources not involved in funding conflicts and are in compliance with United Nations Resolutions.
What types of things inspire you daily?
Architecture, furniture, rugs, decorative objects, architecture, vintage stores, antique stores and most especially 3-dimentional works of art. I surround myself with beautiful objects. Some completely frivolous and some practical. I have a lovely Persian rug that I stare at incessantly. Living in New York City energizes and inspires me tremendously. There is a plethora of visual arts to inspire anyone. In 5-20 minutes one can be in front of some of the world’s great treasures. I went to the lobby of the Chrysler building the other day and stared hypnotically at the wood marquetry and wooden elevator doors. There might be a new collection dedicated to this building soon. Above all, architecture, architecture, architecture. It has such a magnificent, grand, overpowering and imposing scale. Not only is architectural regal in my opinion, it has purpose and practically like jewelry. I love complexity and intricacy. I truly appreciate great masters like Piranesi and other architectural draftsmen. I have two amazing paintings (glicee, since I cannot afford the originals yet) that I see every day. They are complex, fantastically riveting and slightly bizarre, I always see something new. One is by Daniel Merrian and one is by Vladimir Kilt-Both are actually depictions of architecture.
Do you feel that the “Green Movement” will have an influence on your future designs?
Artistically, visually and literally, perhaps I will incorporate more emerald gemstones and jade into my jewelry. But would that mean I would be following a trend? I do not feel that simply adding a color to my line then donating some of the proceeds of the sale is a very creative solution to a better earth. I refuse to be presumptuous on something as important as our world. One must take the initiative to first learn and be prolific in their knowledge of geology, metallurgy, gemology, mining, ; where the resources that jewelers use come from, how are the extracted, how much of the resource do we really have, are diamonds only used for jewelry (no) and so on. Practically, the medium itself can be reused, melted down, used to conduct electrically. Metals are one of the most utilized resources that we have; jewelry, railroads, plumbing, pots, pans, roofs, electronics, buildings, tools, and on and on. I recall going to the scrap yard years ago in college to find reused metal for a sculpture project. Already, suppliers that are concerned for natural resources are adding synthetic stones to their catalogs. But the demand is just not there yet on the jewelry retail side; from my experience people feel that an authentic sapphire is far more beautiful than one that is synthetic. Realistically, I do not foresee that the “Green Movement” will influence my designs but it could influence the stones that I use. This is an idea that I would like to explore further for creative and real practical solutions, I do not want to simply give money to a charity and say that I have done my part.
For additional information visit www.KatrinaKellyJewelry.com.
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