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Emilie Shapiro has Brass for Days

Amiah T — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 17:34:40 +0000

What do you get when you mix 20 years of dancing with the expertise of a metalsmith? You get jewelry so fluid and captivating, it could only be created by a lifelong student of movement. Looking at Emilie Shapiro’s jewelry is like looking at treasure from another era. Every iteration has a touch of magic from the amorphous casting of the metal to the rough quality of the stones. I first featured Emilie’s Mosaic V Pendant necklace on the blog last year and she’s been one of my favorite artists since.

Fun facts about Emilie include her near-obsession with aquamarine because of it’s raw and elemental energy. Being largely inspired by water, aquamarine truly resonates with her because it evokes the textures, hues, and feelings of the sea.

Echeveria Ring, $150.

Oracle Earrings, $189.

In the media lately, white allyship has been a touchy subject. Many people believe that conversations and initiatives surrounding race should be led solely by BIPOC. It’s my personal opinion that white supremacist thinking isn’t a Black issue that needs to be sympathized with, but a white issue that needs to be both internally and externally addressed.

Apparently, Emilie and I were on the same wavelength because she took it upon herself to launch a mentorship program for Black jewelry students last month. Her Jewelers Mentorship Program was created after deeply contemplating her privilege and making note of the lack of inclusivity and diversity at trade shows. She pledged to establish a relationship with a new mentee every 6 months and to continue the program throughout her career. It is actions like these that we need to see allies taking to show true support for the continued challenges that Black people face in America.

We talked about everything from motivational speakers to the pandemic, I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did!

Daybreak Ring, $137.

Hydra Cuff, 196.

Amiah Taylor: What are your feelings on the #BlackLivesMatter Movement?

Emilie Shapiro: I am in full support and solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. I can feel the tides turning, not just in the world but in myself. As a white woman who was raised by liberal parents in NY, I’ve always considered myself an ally without a racist bone in my body. Like so many others, I’m realizing for the first time in my life that’s not true. I’ve been looking back at things that I was taught growing up, in school and simply ingrained in our system, and am realizing for the first time we were not shown the whole picture. I’ve been focusing on educating myself, learning how to educate my son, and having conversations with friends and family that honestly we would have never had before. Not because we weren’t interested or didn’t believe that black people are not treated equally or given equal opportunity, but because we didn’t feel like it was our place to talk about. I realize now that’s wrong. We have to talk, and we have to fight for change – that’s our privilege. We need to make space, make noise, and make some changes!

AT: You’ve said all of your pieces are just extensions of your soul, how do you deal with the vulnerability of creating pieces that deeply reflect the self?

ES: It’s really all I know how to do. I’m much more vulnerable doing other things I don’t feel confident in – like speaking on camera, math, and baking. I think when you’re comfortable with a skill or medium it gives you the freedom to just do you.

AT: What draws you to brass as a medium?

ES: I love working with brass so I can be big and bold with it. I love the color and I love the resistance it gives when working with it.

AT: When you have low-energy days or days where you feel drained, do you have favorite motivational speakers that you use to lift your spirits?

ES: I really love listening to Kurt Elster; he’s a marketing genius and is passionate about entrepreneurship and creativity. After I listen to his podcast I always feel energized about my business.

AT: You were able to help donate nearly 50 masks to frontline emergency workers at NYU Langone Hospital in NYC. In what ways has the pandemic changed your daily perspective?

ES: I was really excited to be able to donate masks to NYU Langone hospital workers here in NYC. It’s something we wear every day in my studio, and never in a million years would I have thought how coveted they would be. The pandemic has taught me a lot of things, but mostly to slow down, to not take advantage of the small moments and how lucky I am to have my family, health, food on my table and a roof over my head.

Model pictured wearing Emilie Shapiro’s Weeping Willow Necklace and Weeping Willow Earrings, $196 and $174.

AT: Many people may not know that as well as being a mom and business owner, you are also an author. What was your process for writing How To Create Your Own Jewelry Line and how was that project different from your second book Creative Wax Carving?

ES: The process of writing both of my books was really difficult at the beginning. Taking lessons I had taught to students in person for years and trying to translate it to paper. How to Create Your Own Jewelry Line began to pour out of me once I got started, trying to break down all of the things I’ve learned over the years, lessons I’ve learned from mistakes, and things I wish I would have known when I got started. Creative Wax Carving was a whole other challenge because I had to figure out how to explain a physical, tangible skill with words. Breaking down the lessons in the book was really fun. I am really proud of those books and to be able to share lessons with people around the globe that feel accessible.

Photo Credit: Emilie Shapiro Jewelry

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Why Kelly Zogheb Will Change Your Mind About Wanting a Geeky Engagement Ring

Amiah T — Sat, 25 Apr 2020 12:00:00 +0000

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!

Warlock Ring pictured in solid 14 karat yellow gold, $1100. This ring is inspired by Warlocks from online roleplaying games like World of Warcraft.

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!

The Haru Ring pictured with the Cosmos Band. They are $1540 and $1235 respectively.

Both the Haru Ring and the Cosmos Band were inspired by Nintendo’s E3 presentation of Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

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!

The Pixel Heart Ring of Light is pictured in solid 14 karat yellow gold and accented with round brilliant cut conflict-free white diamonds, $825.

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!

The Kirei Ring is pictured in solid 14 karat recycled yellow. This ring was inspired by the flowers and butterflies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

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.”

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