For the past 20 years, Seattle-based Jamie Joseph has been throwing all of her broken stones into a wooden African bowl in her studio, unsure of what, exactly, to do with them. The fractures are the unfortunate casualty of a business built on hand-cutting and polishing all of her own gems. But a light bulb moment struck upon reading about the Japanese technique of kintsugi, the process of mending pottery with gold to make pieces more beautiful and valuable. Kintsugi in jewelry would enable Joseph to up-cycle mistakes, “all the while creating a new sustainable approach to material sourcing,” the artist explains in a press release about the new collection.
“As a philosophy, kintsugi treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object rather than something to disguise,” she told JCK in an email interview.
Enter her Golden Joinery jewelry collection, which debuted at Couture. Thus far, 40 SKUs exist and all are one of a kind. Stones featured thus far include opal, moonstone, turquoise, labradorite, sapphire, ruby, and tourmaline, though that inventory can change depending on studio accidents. All rocks are set in oxidized sterling silver with 22k gold smothering the seams of two cracked halves in a golden Band-Aid of sorts. Additionally, open backs reveal the entire composition, which celebrates imperfection—a reality to which every person can relate.
Retail prices start at $1,650, and stores who ordered styles at Couture are already receiving them. Buy-in for Golden Joinery is a minimum of 20 pieces.
Courtesy David Wentworth of Flutter Studios
Rings in oxidized sterling silver with 22k gold, from left: turquoise (Joseph’s personal ring, not for sale); African ruby with 0.016 ct. diamond, $3,410; Australian boulder opal with 0.016 ct. diamond, $2,795; Australian boulder opal with 0.016 ct. diamond, $3,850; and green tourmaline, $1,860
Courtesy David Wentworth of Flutter Studios
Backsides of rings
Courtesy David Wentworth of Flutter Studios
Pendant necklace in oxidized sterling silver with 22k gold and rainbow moonstone, $2,970
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