Wearabilty and durability have always been important traits I keep in mind when designing. In the last 2 years I’ve had a “new employee” helping in this department. My now 4 year old daugter Ella has risen to the task. Whenever I’m spotted with a new design, the piece is instantly ripped off my neck, fingers… It’s handled gently at the start and within about 5 minutes dropped on the floor, bounced across a room and rolled under some dusty dresser. Sometimes the piece is worn by the tester for several hours, no doubt being smashed, prodded, and aggressively treasured the whole time. Curiously, this approach in jewelry testing has actually proven effective in elucidating a design’s weak spots or strengths. The hardest thing about this approach is retrieving the item from it’s secret hiding spot when the testing is complete!

Though spring is not yet upon us, things are blooming at Kamofie! My favorite time of year is here. The frantic holidays have passed and there is a little lull that is happily filled by what I call “Design Time!” We will  be exhibiting at 2 wholesale shows, The Smart Show in Chicago and Couture in Vegas in the first half of this year, and new works are in progress to fill those cases. I’ve been doing so many custom wedding sets at the store that I figured a wedding/bridal collection was due! I am excited to launch this collection featuring men’s rings (finally) as well as some non-traditional options for engagement rings.  Stack rings continue to be a favorite in the store, so more stacks are on the way as well!!  My  newest collection, Element, will have several one-of-a-kind pieces with mixed metals, blackened gold, and raw gemstones. The mood is slightly  darker– more mysterious, perhaps??- than many pieces in the line, yet still distinctively Kamofie. Hope you like all the goodies…will post some preview pics as they are ready!