Kayo Saito

A thousand facets sits with Kayo Saito, they discuss her upbringing in Japan, her start on jewelry creating paper pieces and how she moved to metal and now lapidary! About: I really cherish the little wonders that nature throws our way.  It could be tender young leaves sprouting, the scent of opening buds, or decaying leaves curling up.  I design and make jewellery to reconnect us to nature. In my workshop, all the parts and elements are made by hand, making each piece unique. You can follow Yen on Instagram @kayosaitojewellery or her website https://www.kayosaito.com/ Please visit @athousandfacets on Instagram to see some of the work discussed in this episode. Music by @chris_keys__ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A thousand facets sits with Yen Duong before her showing at Goldsmith's fair week one, to talk about her experiences as a child, her love for art and how a visit to a science museum igniting the voice she has now. About: When I was 7 years old I experienced the eternal bond that jewellery can create with memories. My family and I were forced to flee our homeland of Vietnam as political refugees. We could take little with us on that perilous boat journey to Hong Kong and we chose our most precious possessions - family photos and jewellery which I’ve treasured ever since. To this day that jewellery connects me back with those childhood memories, loved ones and places for which I’m eternally grateful. That chapter of my life made me embrace the value of memories and the simple things in life. Maintaining that sense of joy and gratitude for the everyday lead to creating intricate, beautiful pieces from the raw materials around me and jewellery making became my creative outlet. At The Sir John Cass School of Art, London I learnt to push the boundaries of creativity and innovation with traditional skills. In the process of experimenting with structural complexity in movement, I developed the foundations for my Molecule Design Structure along with my creative expression. You can follow Yen on Instagram @yenjewellery or her website https://www.yenjewellery.com/ Please visit @athousandfacets on Instagram to see some of the work discussed in this episode. Music by @chris_keys__ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A thousand facets sits with Heather Guidero, they talked about her upbringing in rural Indiana, moving to Rhode Island for college and how travel has informed her voice. About: “Settling in at my bench and picking up my favorite antique files is as natural and reflexive as breathing. There's something comforting about the feel of my favorite tools in hand and being able to turn a sheet of metal or length of wire into a piece of jewelry that will be treasured and worn on a regular basis.” The graphic lines, textures, and patterns of her work are inspired by elements of modernist design, fashion, and urban architecture translated into ethically-sourced gold and silver. Select pieces are accented by brilliant diamonds or colorful gemstones. Innately wearable, Heather’s collection boldly accentuates your personal style, her considerations of natural movement enabling the jewelry to come alive when worn. You can follow Heather on Instagram @heatherguiderojewelry or his website https://www.heatherguidero.com Please visit @athousandfacets on Instagram to see some of the work discussed in this episode. Music by @chris_keys__ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A thousand facets sits with Flora Bhattachary as they talk about her childhood driving with her parents through India and how that informed her love for color and patterns. Her work is a celebration of her life experiences! I hope you enjoy our conversation! About: Flora Bhattachary can trace her passion for jewellery back to a moment in childhood. Gifted an ancient carved bird at an archaeological site in India, a passion for gemstones and the art of India took hold. Now a multiple award winning designer, Flora is celebrated for her distinctive reimagining of floral patten, subtle colour and bohemian style. With two decades in jewellery and an MA from prestigious Central Saint Martins, Flora understands the value of exceptional design and craft. Working alongside the finest craftspeople in the UK, Flora creates unmistakably relaxed signature designs. Whether creating a one-of-a-kind statement or a bespoke engagement ring, Flora channels a lifetime of experiences and passions into jewellery. Alive with storytelling, her work celebrates personal stories - from her past and her client's futures - in gold and precious gems. You can follow Pasha on Instagram @florabhattachary or his website https://www.florabhattachary.com/ Please visit @athousandfacets on Instagram to see some of the work discussed in this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A thousand facets sits with Pasha Moezzi for a truly entertaining conversation! He started his career in his dad's business, a furniture designer and that was the catalyst to create his brand! About: Growing up Pasha was surrounded by furniture wares of his father, Farmand aka Louis, he took a distinct interest in materials, process and form to develop his eponymous brand 10 years ago. Beginning with scraps from his fathers workshop Pasha has evolved his look and aesthetic to create a collection of pieces that feel very architectural referencing heritage and incredibly easy to wear by almost anyone who enjoys the modern life. Pasha does production work as well as one-of-a-kind pieces but he always keeps true to his deco-industrial aesthetic. You can follow Pasha on Instagram @pashadesigns or his website https://www.pashamoezzi.com/ Please visit @athousandfacets on Instagram to see some of the work discussed in this episode. Music by @chris_keys__ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A thousand facets sits with Emefa Cole to discuss her childhood in Ghana, moving to London in her pre teens and how a stationary shop was the start of her jewelry journey! I hope you enjoy our conversation ABOUT: The genesis of the designer can be pinpointed to a childhood fascination with jewellery, precious metals, and stones of the Earth, where girlhood awe flowered into an enrapturement, a bottomless admiration, and a depthless love affair. Growing up in Ghana, Emefa was utterly enthralled by the local folklore surrounding tales of people unearthing gold nuggets exposed by heavy tropical rains; the spectacle of gold winking from the soil’s confines so fixed in her mind that a mythology around unveiling Earth’s treasures holds court and pervades her work to this day. More formative interactions with jewellery include both creation and purchase–stringing Job’s tears (seeds that grow on long grass plants) to construct necklaces, and choosing her own jewellery for the first time: a glorious pair of gold studs set with stones red as pigeon blood. You can follow Emefa on Instagram @emefacolejewellery or her website https://www.emefacole.com/ Please visit @athousandfacets on Instagram to see some of the work discussed in this episode. Music by @chris_keys__ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A thousand facets sits with Todd Pownell, they discuss about his beginnings in metal shop and how he enjoy creating. How he met his wife Debra and they build an incredible brand together inspired by the vastness of the universe. About: Works of jewelry have always been made as trophy and tribute, part of our human celebration and re-invention of natural beauty. The jeweler’s art binds us across history to generations who fought and loved at the beginning of our world, and farther, to the earth itself and the stars. At TAP by Todd Pownell we remember that a simple adornment can mix the sensual clarity of moonlight with the hard splendor of our planet’s profound mineral veins. As artisans we perfect these elements and deliver them, home to the sweep and tenderness of the body, like treasure washed onto sand. Noble metals and gemstones are beautiful not only because of sheen or lustrous color but in their ultimate molecular structure, as examples and reminders of a universal order.  These are qualities which are the guiding lights of craft, and as artists, we echo and honor them in the harmonies of our own works. We hope to evoke mystery, and the fast-changing yet eternal conditions of the natural world – of wind and storm, and sunlight as it spreads sharp and warm through the last minutes before night. Our aim is to distill an ultimate romance and bring it, polished, to the flesh, as an emblem of all that is deep and lovely, translated in metal and stone. You can follow Todd on Instagram @tapbytoddpownell or their website https://www.tapbytoddpownell.com/ Please visit @athousandfacets on Instagram to see some of the work discussed in this episode. Music by @chris_keys__ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A thousand facets sits with Tura Sugden, they talk about her childhood in Australia, how she has a curiosity for creativity since childhood and how responsible sourcing and manufacturing is the most important thing for her brand. About Tura: Classically trained in both goldsmithing and fine art, Tura Sugden has a unique approach to fine jewelry design and a traditionally rooted execution. She draws upon her experiences - seven years apprenticing and studying advanced techniques in Belgium, Maine, Tennessee, Kansas and California and earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2008 - and now operates a modern atelier, melding old world goldsmithing with a contemporary point of view. Using generations-old hand building techniques, each setting is crafted from solid gold. Rolled, pulled, extruded, sawn, filed, sanded, soldered, and cut until each stone has a protective space. The studio produces only one-of-a-kind and small-production collections, with an emphasis on sustainable and responsible practices. Inspired by the bones of construction, classic silhouettes are redefined with signature settings and uniquely curated gemstones. It is a collection of essentials and heirlooms, romance and luxury, built by hand and born of tradition, thoughtfully produced using recycled gold and ethically sourced diamonds. You can follow Tura on Instagram @turasugden or her website https://turasugden.com/ Please visit @athousandfacets on Instagram to see some of the work discussed in this episode. Music by @chris_keys__ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A thousand facets sit with the incredible Alice Cicolini. They spoke about her childhood surrounded by art, her time as a curator and how jewelry found her. She has taken her travels as an inspiration for her work and she celebrates the makers behind it. About: Alice Cicolini is a designer and creative commissioner, curator of several international touring exhibitions on design and a published author, including a book on contemporary British dandyism, The New English Dandy, for Thames & Hudson. She is a Research Associate at Central St Martins, where she graduated in 2009 with a Masters in Jewellery Design. Formerly Director Arts & Culture for the British Council in India, she remains closely involved with Indian craft and design. Alice has exhibited at the V&A, Sotheby's and Homo Faber. She has collaborated with Carpenters Workshop Jewellery and CAST, as well as Peter Ting and heritage British pearl company Winterson. Alice was part of the British Fashion Council’s celebrated Rock Vaults initiative, curated by Stephen Webster, from 2012-2015. Her work has been featured by Joanna Hardy (Masters of Modern Jewellery),  Carol Woolton (Drawing Jewels for Fashion), Olivier Dupon (The New Jewellers) and Melanie Grant (Coveted). A chapter of Kyle Roderick’s book for Rizzoli (Bejewelled: The World of Ethical Jewelry) has been dedicated to Alice’s appreciation for and dedication to the sustainability of artisanal skill. Alice Cicolini is available at Liberty, Twist, Dover Street Market, Auverture and a select list of inspirational independent stores across the US, Japan and Europe. You can follow Alice on Instagram @alicecicolini or her website https://www.alicecicolini.com/ Please visit @athousandfacets on Instagram to see some of the work discussed in this episode. Music by @chris_keys__ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A thousand facets sat with the McCaul brothers, Barry and David in their beautiful store in Dublin, Ireland and they chat about how their career in the jewelry industry, how they mix new technology with traditional traditions and what it is to be back on the town they grew up to open their store there. About: We are traditional goldsmiths, known for our unique modern fine jewellery. Our signature style is curvaceous, modern and elegant. Each piece of McCaul Goldsmiths’ jewellery is designed, made and set in-house, from start to finish, using traditional techniques and modern technology. We love to explore new ideas and are continually adding new designs to our collection. Visit the McCaul Goldsmiths’ ateliers in Dublin and London to watch us at work and browse the current designs in our collection. As classically trained goldsmiths, our style and forms are heavily influenced by technique and the properties of the precious metals we work with. We aim to create elegant jewellery that accentuates the curves and contours of the body. Rings gently meander around the fingers and earrings sweep and caress the contours of the neck. Precious metals are hand-forged into sweeping tapered loops; a curve highlighted with lines of tiny diamonds; colourful gemstones inspire one-off creations. Our search for exceptional gemstones regularly takes us to fairs abroad where we source our most remarkable stones. You can follow Barry and David on Instagram @mccaulgoldsmiths or their website https://mccaul.com visit their shops: Dublin Atelier:  The Diamond, Main St, Malahide, Co. Dublin, K36 V2V0  email: [email protected] phone: +353 1 5155038 London Atelier: 56 Exmouth Market, London, EC1R 4QE email: [email protected] phone: +44 207 502 7033 Please visit @athousandfacets on Instagram to see some of the work discussed in this episode. Music by @chris_keys__ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices