Designer Spotlight: Lisa Kim Fine Jewelry

After ten years in the field of film and animation, Lisa Kim set out to create beautiful things using her aesthetic and to fulfill a desire of exploring some passions of hers, like Mythology, fantasy literature, graphic novels, and ancient history.  These all play into and help influence her debut collection of fine jewelry, called WINDLORDS.  This collection took nearly a year to put together, with fine tuning her technique and finding her voice, she explains, “The theme I saw emerging in my designs was one of the sky and the heavens, so I decided this first collection would be called WINDLORDS. It seemed fitting – the gods of the sky in mythologies tend to be the most powerful deities, and they guide the hero on her journey. I kept imagining the jewelry to be those that modern gods would wear and bestow upon a mortal as gifts.”  Techniques like chasing and repousse are important aspects of her jewelry line, which she passionately first began experimenting using a DVD to teach herself in her garage workshop. She then formally studied with masters Valentin Yotkov and Davide Bigazzi.

Her visions became a reality also with the help of being named the winner of the 2013 Carelle-WJA Member Grant in Honor of Brooke Tivol McGrath.  This allowed Lisa to hire the photographer of her dreams—Eric Chang, and promote her vision through beautiful images.  Eric’s skills as a photographer speak for themselves—the next aspects were photoshoot location and model.  Luckily, Lisa had a friend recommend Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest and upon visiting for the first time, she knew it was the perfect fit. “I chose a grove in Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest as the location for the shoot. At an elevation of 11,000 feet, it is close to the sun and the light is different up there. It seemed to me that not many people had shot things there, and I found out why. The drive up the mountainside is only twelve miles long, but it takes about an hour and a half to drive because the road is a narrow winding dirt path.”  After looking through many portfolios for the perfect model to represent her jewelry line, upon seeing the headshots of Kristen Stephenson Pino, Lisa knew she was the one!  The model portrayed a look she had envisioned, “She has Caucasian features, but she has this incredibly rich olive skin! I love that it is hard to place her ethnicity. We all came from one race, and it is said that our races will become one again. Kristen is a stunning representation of this idea.” With all aspects in place, Lisa and her team shot the above photos.  

The incredible shots capture more than just her jewelry.  Lisa’s concept of every woman being a hero within their own life really comes through in these photographs.  Such a huge statement coming from a beautiful line of jewelry.  Lisa explains this concept further, “I see a parallel between the mythic hero and the modern woman. Each one of us has a unique set of life challenges. When we choose to face these challenges, a remarkable thing happens: Bit by bit, we grow wiser and stronger. This transformation reminds me of that which turns lead into gold.”

>> Lisa’s jewelry can be found at Gallery of Jewels in San Francisco at their Union Square location!

Jewelry featured:

CAVANSITE WING EARRINGS in 18k gold
Known for its brilliant sky blue hue, cavansite glitters amongst these makeshift wings in 18k gold.  Wearing these earrings can give wings to your dreams and goals.
MOONSTONE CUTOUT BIRD PENDANT in 18k gold
Reminiscent of an out-of-this-world bird, this elegant gold cutout drapes beautifully on the neck, set with a faceted moonstone.
STARBURST OPAL EARRINGS in 18k gold
Bursting like rays from the sun, these fiery earrings are set with blazing Ethiopian Opals which light up your earlobe.
MOONSTONE SHIELD RING in 18k gold  
Two abstract birds hold a 14 mm bezel-set rose cut moonstone on top of a carved double shank. Hand-fabricated panels with feather and sun motifs line the openings. This ring stands high on the hand with heft, commanding attention. 
STORM’S TEARS EARRINGS in 18k gold
A beautiful pair of pear-shaped moonstone cabochons hang from shiny spikes of yellow gold.  The dangles drop at a perfect length, with the beauty portraying calm after the storm.
WING RING in 18k gold
Two abstracted birds wrap around your finger, holding up a dome that represents the sun.  Engraving, mixing metals, or replacing the dome with a gemstone are among the customization options available for this piece