Karole Mazeika: Jewelry That Interacts With the Body

Amiah Taylor: What fascinates you about buildings, and how does that translate into jewelry?

Karole Mazeika: I don’t think architectural design translates into jewelry, exactly. You could say design principles are the same at any scale but that isn’t true. The priorities are different, the purpose is different, and the practical concerns are different. 

That said, humans tend to adorn themselves along their outside just like buildings. I use contemporary architectural skin patterns in my jewelry, from expanded metal in the VLA (Very Large Antenna Array) to perforated screens in the Tierra series. Another way architecture impacts the body is in its choreography through built environments. I don’t design pieces that stand off the body but that interact with it.

AT: In your Albuquerque studio, do you like to listen to music as you work, and if so, which artists?

KM: I wait until my morning walks to listen to the news on the pandemic, especially hard-hitting ones from The Daily or The Inquirer. I let myself grieve and cry. When I get to my studio I switch to stations from Google Music. Currently, I’m defaulting to funky and celestial instrumentals. I recently discovered “focus music” in my Headspace app and it’s a great variation on white noise for CAD work. I tend to listen to audiobooks while constructing jewelry. Some I recently listened to are I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong and Everything Is F*cked by Mark Manson. 

AT: How did you get the idea for opening up Oropopo with your husband, Grady?

KM: I had been experimenting with laser cutting and wearables for my personal use for a while before leaving my architecture job. Grady and I have always had a collaborative dimension to our relationship. Even before I began working for myself, we would talk about design and art theory and collaborate in web design and blogs. As a writer, he loves visual metaphors. We both love the landscape and traditions of New Mexico and the Southwest. So as I explored more about what the laser cutter could do as a tool and leather as a material, it evolved into a serious endeavor.

AT: As a husband and wife team, what are your respective roles? Would you say that you are more mechanical or that he is?

KM: Day-to-day I design and do a lot of the production. I spend most of my time in the studio or at trade shows. Grady writes narratives. He also handles the back-end business-to-business work. He spends most of the time behind a screen or on the phone. If one of our lasers breaks I fix it. If the swamp cooler breaks he fixes it. I think we complement each other in our mechanical prowess. 

AT: When you initially opened Oropopo, did you know that you wanted to expand past jewelry and make shoes and tabletop sculptures?

KM: Jewelry has been our focus because we are filling a hole in the market. Shoes were a collaboration initiated by an Israeli women architect team. Bags began from a suggestion from a fellow maker. They are made in collaboration with an architect who is also a dear friend. Wall hangings began from a client asking for a necklace big enough to hang above her bed, so we started calling it “jewelry for the home.” Baskets began from trying to make hats. There is a strong client-driven need for belts and we’ve been working on those for a couple of years. We are close to launching them! 

AT: What’s your opinion on “push presents,” the 21st-century trend where men are giving women a piece of jewelry in exchange for giving birth? And if you approve, which jewelry piece in your shop do you think would make a great push present? 

KM: I love that each partnership has a ritual. Love and life should always be celebrated. I think our most expensive piece is the perfect push present!!! Just kidding! Ask for what makes you happy and helps you remember the joy of giving birth because pushing out a baby is no joke.

AT: Michael Kors is quoted as saying “I’ve always thought of accessories as the exclamation point of a woman’s outfit.” What’s your philosophy on accessories?

KM: I have described my approach towards designing accessories, but I don’t know if I have one on wearing them. I’ve heard clients mention that our pieces are conversation starters. People stop them. They’re just so perplexed on never seeing metal do that or wood do that and then can’t get over the fact that it is actually leather. I’ve heard this especially from clients who never wore statement jewelry before ours. Most clients do reserve on wearing Oropopo for days that they want to interact with others. It’s the literal “pick me up.”