Karin Jacobson

"The wonderful thing about art jewelry is the feeling you get when you wear something that is both beautiful and handmade. You feel a little uplifted and inspired, and I do not think we can ever have that feeling too much. "

Jacobson is committed to meticulously crafted jewelry. Each piece is hand fabricated using ethically sourced materials, such as recycled metals and gemstones that are fair-trade, recycled, domestic, or sourced from small artisan mines. Her recent work, inspired by origami and kirigami (origami with cut paper), is created by taking flat shapes and folding them into voluminous 3-D forms.

Jacobson loves the scale and detail of jewelry making. There is a meditative quality to working on something small and making it beautiful. She uses a combination of lost wax casting, fabrication, and hand forming to create her origami collection. She also loves stone setting and employs a wide variety of stone setting techniques, including bezel, tube, flush, and channel setting.

Jacobson's training has been mostly informal. After high school, she apprenticed as a goldsmith while also attending the University of Minnesota (where she did not study jewelry, but liberal arts). She graduated summa cum laude in 1997 with a BA in history. Besides her seven years working as a goldsmith apprentice, she is self-taught, and continues to learn and explore in her Minneapolis studio.