SoulBound Jewelry is for the free-spirited bride who likes to slay dragons with a joystick.
Kelly Zogheb is the owner of Soulbound Jewelry, which she defines as a one-woman company. When you see the jewelry photography on her website, or look at the expertly designed rings or solicit a customized engagement ring, it is always Kelly who creates it or makes it happen.
Constantly studying manga, anime, and video games, Kelly’s creations express her artistic vision which converts her playful pastimes into striking jewelry. She effortlessly concentrates the allure of hard-edged male-dominated fandoms into feminine packages, all without breaking a sweat.
When she does break a sweat, however, you can find her exercising. Kelly rides her Peloton bike every single day and loves to stay healthy and build physical strength. Kelly told me personally that she can bench press 300 lbs! Just kidding, she definitely did not say that! But with a love of building muscle, it is no wonder that her jewelry reflects an unusual balance between strength and delicacy.
Kelly is very whimsical and you can see her inventive and fun personality throughout her entire line. We talked about everything from laboratory gemstones to favorite movies and engagement rings. I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did!
Amiah Taylor: In the early 2000s, people would ask if you were a Carrie or a Miranda because of the popularity of the show Sex and the City. In 2020, there’s a resurgence of people watching throwback cartoons….so which guardian from Sailor Moon would you be?
Kelly Zogheb: I’ve always been pretty independent and self-sufficient which I think are defining traits for Lita (Sailor Jupiter). Throughout my life, I’ve had a hard time fitting in with other women and I’ve actually never watched a single episode of Sex and the City! When Serena (Sailor Moon) first meets Lita, she’s eating lunch at school alone because she’s having a hard time fitting in. I can definitely relate to that!
I share Lita’s love for cooking and baking as well and my favorite color is green. I wish I was as tall as her though! I think she’s supposed to be 5’7” and I’m just 4’9.5”!
AT: Which of your ring designs has been the most intricate and time-consuming for you to complete?
KZ: Definitely the Warlock Ring. I actually had 3 other completely different finished designs for the Warlock Ring that I scrapped before creating the final version. I got so burnt out trying to force the ring to be amazing, that I had to stop and step away from it for a week or so. After my mind was cleared, I started from scratch and just let the creativity flow instead of trying to force it. That’s how I created the final version, which I’m still so proud of today!
It was a lesson that I’ve known for a long time but I keep forgetting. You can’t force good design, because the final work will ultimately look forced. You need to allow yourself freedom and flexibility when creating, even if that means going in a totally different direction than where you started!
AT: You’re the founder as well as the art director for Soulbound Jewelry. When you go to jewelry shows like Capsule Vegas and JA New York, what is your artistic vision for your booth?
KZ: In general I’m trying my best to create a mysterious, enchanted forest vibe with my jewelry displays. I think about the Forest Temple in Ocarina of Time a lot while I’m planning them. I use either dark green suede or gold velvet boards for the base and dark green velvet display boxes. Then I decorate with different little trinkets I’ve collected over the years – crystals, antique keys, lucky cats, Pokémon cards, torn pages from old books, and even video game manuals. For the last trade show I exhibited at, I brought my fiancé’s original World of Warcraft game manual!
AT: You met a lot of cool fellow designers at the Premier show, like @carolinefdownes. Do you anticipate yourself doing a collaboration with any of the designers you’ve met thus far?
KZ: I absolutely love all of the designer friends I’ve made over the years exhibiting at trade shows, but I don’t think I’d ever do a collaboration with them.
We all have totally different styles that appeal to totally different customers, so I’m not sure if it would make sense. We all do keep in touch, meet up for drinks every now and then and help each other out as much as possible though!
AT: You’ve mentioned virtual gardening on Animal Crossings: New Horizons being the inspiration for your Haru Ring. For you, does virtual gardening ever crossover into a real-life green thumb?
KZ: Oh man, I really wish I had a green thumb in real life, but it’s tough when you have 2 very curious cats and you live in an apartment building that doesn’t get adequate light or keep a stable temperature! My fiance and I are trying to buy a house soon so maybe when I have a backyard I can set up a proper garden!
AT: Do you have a preference for working with laboratory gemstones over natural gemstones?
KZ: Nope! I work with them both! I think natural gemstones are so interesting because they’re grown in the Earth. I really love natural colored gemstones that have visible inclusions, because it’s a reminder of how they’ve grown and it gives them character!
At the same time, the fact that we have the technology to create lab-grown gemstones blows my mind! I also think lab-grown stones are ideal in certain situations. For example, I always use lab-grown alexandrite over natural alexandrite because the lab-grown stones are eye-clean and exhibit strong color change. Natural alexandrite that’s eye-clean with strong color change is so rare, and therefore incredibly expensive.
AT: You’ve designed dainty pixel rings like your Pixel Heart Ring, but you haven’t featured pixelated gemstones. Is that something we might see from you in the future?
KZ: Probably not! The intricate designs I’m creating now were always in my mind, but a few years ago I simply wasn’t skilled enough to create them.
I’ve already discontinued most of the pixel collection, but I’ve been hanging onto the pixel heart pieces just so I still have a reminder of how far Soulbound has come!
AT: I know that you’re soon to be married, did you design your engagement ring yourself or did you opt to be surprised?
KZ: I did make my engagement ring, but my fiancé came up with the design! It’s based on Aragorn’s crown from the Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (my favorite movie of all time).
Unfortunately, we’ve had to push our wedding back an entire year due to the COVID-19 situation, but I just see it as another year to plan and make the wedding even more incredible! The overall theme is a magical, enchanted forest with subtle inspiration from Lord of the Rings and the Legend of Zelda!
AT: I know that you’re a LOTR mega-fan because you named one of your cats Frodo and tried to teach yourself Sindarin, one of the elvish languages in the film. If given the opportunity, how would you have styled Cate Blanchett’s character Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings with Soulbound Jewelry?
KZ: I am totally obsessed with Lord of the Rings and probably always will be! I think Cate Blanchett and Liv Tyler are the two most beautiful human beings to grace this Earth. My wedding day makeup and hair inspiration board is basically a bunch of photos of both of them!
Anyway, it’s hard to think of how I’d style Galadriel because I honestly think her jewelry in the movies was already perfect.
I do have VERY strong opinions about Cate Blanchett’s styling in Thor: Ragnarok, but they’re not jewelry related. If I had a chance to go back in time and influence the styling on that movie, I’d immediately wipe all that insane makeup off of her face! I can’t believe they felt the need to pile so much makeup on such a stunning woman. It was a disgrace.
They also could have created a headpiece that was a nod to the original comic book design but much more subtle and sophisticated. There was a serious lack of taste, restraint, and editing there and they somehow managed to make the absolutely stunning beauty, Cate Blanchett, look like a clown. Ok, that’s the end of my Thor: Ragnarok rant!
AT: If there’s a philosophy that you want to impart on the wearer of your jewelry, what would it be in 10 words or less?
KZ: This is the hardest question for me since I’m not a very philosophical person, but there is a quote that I personally love. It’s been helping me keep things in perspective right now! It’s from the Animal Crossing series of video games. There’s a cat named Katrina who is a fortune teller. She comes by every now and then and you can pay her to have your fortune told. No matter what, she always ends with this:
“Remember that bad times… are just times that are bad.”
