And adding a blog to the new site!
Because people often ask me how I got my start making jewelry, I thought a great first blog post would be a little bit about me…
I got my first taste of jewelry design while attending the Perpich Center for Arts Education, a fine arts high school in Minneapolis. That beginner class led to an apprenticeship, starting the summer I graduated from high school, and turned into a job working as a bench goldsmith for the next 7 years, during which I also attended college and graduated from the University of Minnesota. It was with this practical jewelry education and (okay, a little impractical) liberal arts education, and most importantly my burning desire to make my own designs, that I started my own business in 2000.
I launched my flagship collection at the prestigious and world renowned modern art museum, the Walker Art Center, and have been adorning jewelry lovers ever since! Just two short years later, I got a huge boost by being named Grand Winner of the American Jewelry Design Council’s New Talent Competition, which helped establish my jewelry as a national brand. Today, I have a bright and sunny studio in the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District, the epicenter of a vibrant community of Minnesota makers – recently named Best Arts District by USA Today!
I’ve always been inspired by a bold, modern look with clean lines and big, juicy stones. My collection, Super Karin Jewelry, is a line of super-heroine inspired cocktail rings and other bright, colorful pieces made in recycled sterling silver and lab-grown stones - the look is bold and playful, but also conscientiously sourced and affordable. I like to think that wearing one of my big colorful cocktail rings will make you feel like a superhero!
But that superhero vibe didn't come fully to life until I started working with illustrator Sean Tubridy, who conceived and illustrated my comic book. He took a long look at my jewelry and got to know me as a person, and suggested we make the comic book featuring Super Karin, "the galaxy's most stylish superheroine". Super Karin and I do have some things in common - we both like fabulous jewelry and martial arts (I practiced Muay Thai for 14 years so I, too, can throw a decent kick), but we have our differences as well - she is clearly taller than I am, knows how to use a sword and looks stunning in yellow (definitely not my color).
My hope for this collection is that anyone who wears it will feel bolder, shinier, stronger and more fabulous every time they wear a piece. I want it to rock your day!
Welcome to my new website!
Karin