Today’s Jewelry Collection Story comes from Katmojo Jewelry — one of my newest favorites to follow on Instagram. Her necklace stacks have everyone swooning and wanting to know more about the person behind these finely curated wonders, as each photo she posts is like a Eye-Spy game. Often color-coded and mixing high-end with lower price point pieces, Kat always had a fascination and appreciation for jewelry. I am so glad so has taken the time to open up her jewelry box with us and tell us about her story. Hope you enjoy!
“From a young age, I always appreciated the beauty of jewels. I used to save pretty stones I found from places and put them in my mother’s jewelry box trying to “add” to her collection. My parents were not big jewelry collectors. My mom’s collection only included a few pearl necklaces and some basic gold pieces. My father loves jewelry and gemstones, but his collection was modest. Because of that, jewelry did not fully catch my attention until my teenage years at the mall with friends. In middle school, my collection consisted of fashion jewelry from Claire’s. In high school, it was mostly sterling silver pieces from local boutiques and mall kiosks. In college, I noticed my collection was filled with tarnished fashion jewelry so I decided to splurge on a pair of 18k ruby moon earrings from Net-a-porter. It was the first high-quality piece that started my ever growing collection. Fast forward nine years to today, I still have and love it more than ever. Since this first piece, I have been focusing mostly on fine jewelry of all kinds. I have a very eclectic taste, antique, vintage, estate, and modern, I love them all, but the history behind antique and vintage pieces can make them more special; I always wonder what stories antique and vintage pieces could tell. What I really appreciate about antique and vintage jewelry is the attention to detail and craftsmanship. Over the years, I experimented with collecting handbags and other fashion items, but I always came back to jewelry.”
“I love victorian turquoise and signet rings. Turquoise is one of my favorite stones and i’m just obsessed with the antique look of a victorian pave turquoise. Just a few years ago, I was on the hunt and determined to find the perfect victorian pave ring. I’m very picky when it comes to jewelry, so I could never find a ring with perfect criteria. I was about to throw in the towel when i saw this beautiful bracelet with 3 perfect round victorian pave turquoise designed on a rose gold curb chain. From the looks of it, the chain was installed later on, but the look was so unique, it checked all the boxes and was in great condition, so I had to add it to my collection. It’s one of my favorite pieces ever! One of my other favorite motifs is signet rings, which stems from my love for carvings. I love collecting detailed, nicely carved, and well designed signets. I currently have both antique and vintage signet rings in my collection, and am always on the hunt for more.”
“To me, fine jewelry is a wearable art that lasts; it can be romantic and sentimental. As I mentioned above, before I got into fine jewelry, my collection was filled with fashion and costumes pieces. I had to learn the hard way the difference between them and it is night and day. By no means is costume jewelry bad; it’s fun and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. However costume jewelry can tarnish quickly or even go out of style. I think the quote by Coco Chanel “fashion changes but style endures” is a perfect fit for jewelry. I love seeing antique and vintage pieces that endured decades of wear and still shine brilliantly. It’s an art form that combines the beauty of nature, science and time that can be treasured for generations to come. My love and passion for jewelry is not limited to just wearing it. I love just holding a piece in my hand, examining it closely, and learning the process behind it that makes it come alive. I also love designing my own pieces. My very first design is a black opal pinky ring with a diamond halo. Jewelry lets me explore my artistic and creative side. I’m drawn to it like a moth to light, it will always be my passion.”
“RubyLane is a great online source for antique jewelry. I live in Chicago and there are many local sources; “Jeweler’s Row” in downtown Chicago sometimes carries some great antique pieces. My favorite local store is called the “Gold Hatpin”. I stumbled upon it when i met up with a friend who lived in Oak Park, a suburb of Chicago. It’s a tiny shop in the back of the furniture store, full of antique and vintage treasures. It really is a hidden gem!
