Welcome to the world of Carolina Cole

Hello, lovely reader!

Have you ever made something that's just yours and then tried to explain how or why you made it to someone else and why you think it's so damn cool? I've consistently struggled to describe my creative motivations to others. To explain how I get inspiration or create a piece of jewelry in my mind and make it a reality with my hands. I feel so immersed in my process that it's hard for me to step back and walk another person through it concretely.

I crave to take jewelry to the next level, and my design explorations start with a big WHY and a little bit of WHAT. I'm not a big believer in starting with a gemstone as the basis for any jewelry I create. My focus has always been on technique, how to manipulate the materials I choose into shapes that give me joy. To me, gemstones are compliments to my designs; they never dominate.

I draw creativity and inspiration from everyday objects and phenomena, harnessing unfamiliar and elegant shapes into wearable sculptures. I've been inspired by simple things like the drape of a favorite sweater or the shadows of branches on a sidewalk.

I am constantly looking at materials and expanding the first glance limitations of knitting leather, distressing silver, or sawing pearls in half. 

I give myself permission to wonder, invent, try, fail, and try again. I create from the depths of my soul to make jewelry for you and me that's filled with passion, intensity, and creativity. 

Anytime I make something new, it's a journey. Corny, I know, but it's super exciting that I expand my knowledge in every piece I make. That's my reward.

Sound so simple, right? Well, I'll be honest; it hasn't always been. I overthink a piece's minute details before touching my hands to the metal. The actual making is straightforward because I can picture the finished work in 3D; I've already walked through all the possible pitfalls in my head.

Sometimes, it's a breeze to imagine a piece, produce it with few changes to the initial design, and have a finished piece by the end of the week. Sometimes, it boss level hard, and there are bumps in the road until the finish line. And these struggles are not for lack of skill or effort but rather in correcting architectural components to make the piece lasting, comfortable, or easy to clean and maintain by the client. 

This is truly a behind-the-scenes look at my intellectual process because everything is in my mind before I start making it! 

With Gratitude,

Carolina Cole