News — design process

  Torus Tiny Diamond Bracelet I won’t lie: The process of envisioning and creating new designs is my favorite part of my job. I love soaking up inspiration, letting my imagination run wild, and sketching out a unique new design. But I also hand-craft all of my jewelry in my little Minneapolis studio, and take great pleasure in building a beautiful piece from start to finish. Since many of my designs take surprising twists and turns before completion, I thought it would be fun to walk you through the creation of a Karin Jacobson piece, step by step! I picked...

Remember how I broke the “what happens in Vegas …” rule by telling you all about my recent trip to the JCK and AGTA shows? Well, today I’m digging deeper into that well of memories! I mentioned that I hit up AGTA to learn more about Columbia Gem House (CGH) and I want to share my findings since they underscore several of my core values as an artisan. Namely that jewelry should be made from dazzling materials that have been responsibly sourced, and that gorgeous adornments needn’t be created at the expense of human welfare. Columbia Gem House: Fair Trade...

Sometimes I’m surprised that the more technical aspects of my design process are interesting to … well, anyone! But I really shouldn’t be; I absolutely adore peeking behind the curtain at the creative practices of other designers and artisans. Learning about their techniques feels intimate and compelling, and makes their finished products feel even more meaningful. So with that in mind, I’m launching a blog series on my OWN processes! We’ll kick things off with something super important to me as a designer who uses fair trade materials: Gem buying. Gems in Vegas Hello, Las Vegas! I recently went to...