A Thousand Facets

A thousand facets sits with Karen Cheung from Kerchung! They talked about her background in animation, how she found her voice through porcelain and how her work is a statement! About: Kerchung! is the brain child and brand of Karen Cheung - illustrator, animator, artist and all round angry woman. Her work centres around saying what you think, speaking the truth, supporting the less privileged and fighting the good fight against hatred. Mental health, reproductive rights, racial justice and women’s rights are just some of the causes that Karen is passionate about and supports through her work. Each piece of Kerchung jewellery is carefully crafted by hand, infused with tongue-in-cheek humour and laced with a vicious edge. Porcelain clay is wrestled into shape, fired and sanded, decorated by the most patient hands, glazed and fired again. Those with 22k gold lustre detail are decorated and fired a third time, making each piece a labour of love and one of a kind. Slight imperfections are part of the charm of this collection, and reflect the handmade nature of our products. We also now offer a line of fine jewellery options in sterling silver and solid gold, as well as some fun gift items such as t-shirts and prints. Karen is assisted in everyday studio work and the making of the ceramic pieces by wonderful Chantal Rush, who herself is a ceramicist and all round super human being. You can follow Karen on Instagram @kerchungcreative or her website https://www.kerchungcreative.com/ Please visit @athousandfacets on Instagram to see some of the work discussed in this episode. Music by @chris_keys__ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A thousand facets sits with Märta Mattsson, they talked about her fascination with the tension that lies between attraction and repulsion and how she chose insects as her medium of work. Märta Mattsson work will be available for viewing at pistachios gallery in Chicago from June 4th - August 30th About: Sometimes I see beauty in things that other people find strange or are even repulsed by. I become fascinated when there is something you do not want to see and the feeling you get when you do not want to look at something, yet you still do. My jewellery deals with the tension that lies between attraction and repulsion. I take seemingly inappropriate materials, making ordinary and familiar objects seem extraordinary and unfamiliar.In the 18th century many new breeds of animals and plants were discovered and it was the main era of cabinets of curiosities. People collected rarities because it gave them the feeling of being in the presence of something extraordinary and marvellous. The cabinets of curiosities were not meant to sympathize with the creatures on display, only marvel over their oddity. In a world where not many new and exotic breeds are discovered I use dead creatures in my pieces to evoke wonder. The creatures are transformed and reborn; given a new life as objects of astonishment. You can follow Märta on Instagram @martamattsson_jewellery or her website https://martamattsson.com/ Please visit @athousandfacets on Instagram to see some of the work discussed in this episode. Music by @chris_keys__ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A thousand facets sits with NYCJW founder Bella Neyman, they talk about how NYCJW started, the importance of supporting independent artists and how ATF was invited to curate the "Discover" section on the NYCJW website. About: Bella Neyman is the founder of NYC Jewelry Week, an annual festival celebrating jewelry, held every November since 2018. She is also an independent curator and journalist specializing in contemporary jewelry. Recently, she served on the Curatorial Advisory Committee for Power to Wear at the DIVA Museum in Antwerp, on view from April-November 2026. Since earning her Master’s Degree in Decorative Arts and Design History from the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum & Parsons, The New School for Design in 2008, Bella has worked for some of New York City’s leading design galleries. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, American Craft, and The Magazine Antiques, and she is a frequent contributor to Metalsmith magazine. Bella lectures on jewelry history both online and in person at various institutions. She is a longtime member of the Board of Art Jewelry Forum. Bella resides in Brooklyn with her family. To be a part of DISCOVER- https://nycjewelryweek.com/discover-feature/ You can follow Bella on Instagram @bellaneyman and NYCJW @nycjewelryweek or her website https://nycjewelryweek.com/ Please visit @athousandfacets on Instagram to see some of the work discussed in this episode. Music by @chris_keys__ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A thousand facets sits once again with a favorite, Liz Kantner for an emergency episode about the importance of customer service. After visiting a few stores and shows, it was important to chat about these experiences and what can we do to improve. About: Liz Kantner’s true passion is working with independent jewelry artists to help them thrive in the modern marketplace. While not an artist herself, Liz has the utmost appreciation for fine jewelry makers and loves to work one-on-one with her clients to help them tell their authentic stories and achieve success. She particularly enjoys the opportunity to work with emerging designers who have unique vision and a contagious passion for the work they create. ​ Before finding her way to the jewelry industry, Liz studied Marketing and Communications at Drexel University. Already blogging in her spare time, Liz’s post-graduation entrance into the world of professional marketing led Liz to discover the possibilities of combining her marketing education with her affinity for social media. She shifted focus to Digital Marketing and soon found herself with accounts for large brands like Black & Decker. ​ A cross-country move led Liz to her first jewelry industry job: Digital Marketing Manager for legendary jeweler Todd Reed in Boulder, Colorado. During her years at Todd Reed, Liz fell in love with the jewelry industry. She worked on advertising, public relations, sales, and trade shows, all while also enjoying a front row seat to the jewelry design and making process. The position was a joy but eventually Liz couldn’t ignore the urge to spread her wings. ​ Liz left Todd Reed to launch Stay Gold in 2016. She moved to Asheville, NC, and started accepting jewelry brand clients and freelance work. In 2019 she created the Stay Gold Collective, a supportive community that continues to grow. Liz connected with Laryssa Wirstiuk to create the Success with Jewelry Podcast. In 2022, Liz teamed up with marketing expert Laryssa Wirstiuk to launch the Success with Jewelry podcast, a platform created to further support independent designers through honest conversations, expert insights, and actionable advice. She has worked for trade shows: Liz curated the New Designer Gallery for JA New York, the Designer Jewelry section of Premiere and Curated at Luxury Lifestyle at NY NOW. She’s been featured in Forbes, JCK Magazine, INSTORE Magazine, and National Jeweler. ​ When she’s not thinking about jewelry, you can usually find Liz at a playground with her four-year-old. She also loves reading contemporary fiction, listening to pop-punk and hugging her pups, Elliott Sniff and Conor Obarks. Please visit @athousandfacets on Instagram to see some of the work discussed in this episode. You can find Information of the Stay Gold collective at: https://www.lizkantner.com/ or visit her Instagram page @liz_kantner Music by @chris_keys__ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A thousand facets sits with Sam Woehrmann, they discuss about his love for gemstones his childhood, his inspiration and what makes him the major of jewelry town. About: With a lifelong intrigue of gemstones and an interest in mathematics I was lured into the metal arts. Learning to both manipulate metal and work with stones has led my work into what it is today. I not only find the amazing colors gems produce, but also the raw crystal structures intriguing. The use of this and different color combinations of metal alloys let me explore designs not only in shape, but in depths along another plane of vision. Being influenced by Earth’s creations and urban backdrops gives my work a strong geometric and industrial look. My jewelry training comes from numerous schools and a multitude of instructors from around the world. Also having worked in the studios of two accomplished goldsmiths molded my work into the style I present today. I live and work out of the Castro District of San Francisco. You can follow Sam on Instagram @samwoehrmann or his website https://www.iamthatsam.com/ Please visit @athousandfacets on Instagram to see some of the work discussed in this episode. Music by @chris_keys__ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A thousand facets sits with contemporary artist Karl Fritsch. Karl, creates playful and unconventional contemporary jewelry. He crosses the line with his mix materials to make us ask, what is truly precious. On the premiere of season 4, I sit with Karl and we talk about his beginnings, how he came into the world of jewelry and how even a comment from his kids will inspire his work. About: Karl Fritsch has gained international recognition for his ever developing body of work, which has focussed almost solely on rings. Fritsch’s jewellery is unmistakable. His works vary from hand-moulded one-off castings, to re-cast, contrastingly daintier jewel-embedded rings, to towering stacks of cut and colourful glass. His ability to continually create new rings is vast and varied. Combining traditional techniques, playing on jewellery history, he has developed has own personal language. He is capable of applying both careful and quick consideration to the materials and objects he works with, and employs precious and base metals, facetted and found stones in his work with egalitarian abandon, turning the most ordinary into the extraordinary. “Of course the ring wants to be beautiful. The technique also wants to be beautiful, and most often it’s the idea that wants to be the most beautiful. But sometimes a ring likes nothing better than to sit in the mud and not give a damn about how it looks. If it’s exactly what it wants to be in a given moment, it is precise, perfect and the most beautiful”. Karl Fritsch Born in Germany in 1962, Karl Fritsch was classically trained at the Goldsmith’s College in Pforzheim, and then attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. He has exhibited extensively, presented guest lectures around the world and his work is held in private and public collections internationally, including the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, The Pinakothek of Modern Art in Munich, the Metropolitan Museum in New York and the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. He has been the recipient of a number of awards including the Herbert Hoffman Prize from the International Craftsmen Trade Fair in Munich and the prestigious jury-selected Francoise van den Bosch Award (2006), given every 2 years to an international jewellery and object maker who is recognised for his/ her oeuvre, influence and contribution to the field. You can follow Karl on Instagram @karlfritschrings or his website https://www.karl-fritsch.com/ Please visit @athousandfacets on Instagram to see some of the work discussed in this episode. Music by @chris_keys__ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A thousand facets sits for the season finale of season 3 with the truly talented Anthony Lent in his studio in Pennsylvania. They talked about his education in Germany, his years as a professor and how he creates his wonderful and whimsical jewelry. About: Anthony Lent has been handcrafting fine jewelry for women and men for almost fifty years. Our collections are based on the sculptural creations of master goldsmith and jewelry designer, Tony Lent. He has dedicated his life to the painstaking transformation of visionary images into intricate pieces of wearable art that are among the most detailed and conceptually profound works of jewelry being made today. Tony began his foray into the jewelry world while studying sculpture at the Philadelphia College of Art (now University of the Arts). While there, he discovered that many of his favorite artists, such Celini and Dürer, were also goldsmiths. He also encountered the works of various renowned jewelers, including René Lalique, René Boivin, and Mario Buccellati, amongst others. In 1971, Tony left Philadelphia and moved to Germany to pursue his goldsmithing education at the Fachhochschule in Schwäbisch-Gmünd. In Germany, he immersed himself in the traditions and technologies of European jewelry design, acquiring the skills and knowledge that would become the foundation of his own work and teaching. On returning to the United States a few years later, he began his career as a jeweler in New York City, working for some of the industry's most prestigious and celebrated fine jewelry houses. During this time, he developed a unique line of bespoke jewelry which was exhibited at galleries and represented by private dealers throughout the world. He also served during this time as a professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), where he was chairman of the Jewelry Design department from 1990–2001. Tony is joined by his sons, David and Max, who founded the Anthony Lent brand in 2013. Together, they are working to preserve their father's legacy for future generations of discerning collectors of the most beautiful and captivating jewelry in the world. At Anthony Lent, we strive to meet the highest standards of quality possible and treat attention to even the finest of details as the number one priority in everything we do. All of our jewelry is designed and manufactured with pride in the USA. You can follow Anthony on Instagram @anthonylentjewelry or his website https://anthonylent.com/ Please visit @athousandfacets on Instagram to see some of the work discussed in this episode. Music by @chris_keys__ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A thousand facets talks with ten artists that participated at the Goldsmiths' Fair, which is her favorite show. They picked one piece of their collection and talked about their inspiration. MAKE SURE TO SEE THEM ON INSTAGRAM. About Goldsmiths' Fair For more than four decades, Goldsmiths’ Fair has brought together a selection of the UK’s best contemporary jewellers and silversmiths. This year’s 136 exhibitors work across disciplines and materials, each achieving distinct techniques and their own style with precious metals. The Fair gives visitors the opportunity to buy directly from makers and to discuss their skills, practices and inspirations, accompanied by a dedicated talks programme and exhibitions. If you want more information about Goldsmiths' Fair- please visit them at: https://www.goldsmithsfair.co.uk/ instagram: @goldsmithsfair Artist's featured on this interview and where to find them: Wenyin Jiang https://www.wenyinjiang.co.uk/ instagram: @wenyinjiang Ruth Tomlinson https://ruthtomlinson.com/ instagram: @ruthtomlinsonjewellery Liu Yang https://liuyang.info/ instagram: @lyj_jewellery Alison macleod https://www.alisonmacleod.com/ instagram: @alisonmacleodjewellery Yeena Yoon https://www.yeenayoon.com/ instagram: @yeenayoonstudio Alice Biolo https://www.alicebiolo.com/ instagram: @alicebiolo Alma Sophia https://www.almasophia.com/ instagram: @almasophiadesign Amy Findlay https://amyfindlayjewellery.com/ instagram: @a.findlayjewellery Stephanie Holt https://www.stephanieholt.co.uk/ instagram: @stephanie__holt Zoe Arnold https://www.zoearnold.com/ instagram: @zoearnold_artefacts Please visit @athousandfacets on Instagram to see some of the work discussed in this episode. Music by @chris_keys__ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A thousand facets sits with Yen Duong before her showing at Goldsmith's fair week one, to talk about her experiences as a child, her love for art and how a visit to a science museum igniting the voice she has now. About: When I was 7 years old I experienced the eternal bond that jewellery can create with memories. My family and I were forced to flee our homeland of Vietnam as political refugees. We could take little with us on that perilous boat journey to Hong Kong and we chose our most precious possessions - family photos and jewellery which I’ve treasured ever since. To this day that jewellery connects me back with those childhood memories, loved ones and places for which I’m eternally grateful. That chapter of my life made me embrace the value of memories and the simple things in life. Maintaining that sense of joy and gratitude for the everyday lead to creating intricate, beautiful pieces from the raw materials around me and jewellery making became my creative outlet. At The Sir John Cass School of Art, London I learnt to push the boundaries of creativity and innovation with traditional skills. In the process of experimenting with structural complexity in movement, I developed the foundations for my Molecule Design Structure along with my creative expression. You can follow Yen on Instagram @yenjewellery or her website https://www.yenjewellery.com/ Please visit @athousandfacets on Instagram to see some of the work discussed in this episode. Music by @chris_keys__ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A thousand facets sits with Flora Bhattachary as they talk about her childhood driving with her parents through India and how that informed her love for color and patterns. Her work is a celebration of her life experiences! I hope you enjoy our conversation! About: Flora Bhattachary can trace her passion for jewellery back to a moment in childhood. Gifted an ancient carved bird at an archaeological site in India, a passion for gemstones and the art of India took hold. Now a multiple award winning designer, Flora is celebrated for her distinctive reimagining of floral patten, subtle colour and bohemian style. With two decades in jewellery and an MA from prestigious Central Saint Martins, Flora understands the value of exceptional design and craft. Working alongside the finest craftspeople in the UK, Flora creates unmistakably relaxed signature designs. Whether creating a one-of-a-kind statement or a bespoke engagement ring, Flora channels a lifetime of experiences and passions into jewellery. Alive with storytelling, her work celebrates personal stories - from her past and her client's futures - in gold and precious gems. You can follow Pasha on Instagram @florabhattachary or his website https://www.florabhattachary.com/ Please visit @athousandfacets on Instagram to see some of the work discussed in this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A thousand facets sits with Emefa Cole to discuss her childhood in Ghana, moving to London in her pre teens and how a stationary shop was the start of her jewelry journey! I hope you enjoy our conversation ABOUT: The genesis of the designer can be pinpointed to a childhood fascination with jewellery, precious metals, and stones of the Earth, where girlhood awe flowered into an enrapturement, a bottomless admiration, and a depthless love affair. Growing up in Ghana, Emefa was utterly enthralled by the local folklore surrounding tales of people unearthing gold nuggets exposed by heavy tropical rains; the spectacle of gold winking from the soil’s confines so fixed in her mind that a mythology around unveiling Earth’s treasures holds court and pervades her work to this day. More formative interactions with jewellery include both creation and purchase–stringing Job’s tears (seeds that grow on long grass plants) to construct necklaces, and choosing her own jewellery for the first time: a glorious pair of gold studs set with stones red as pigeon blood. You can follow Emefa on Instagram @emefacolejewellery or her website https://www.emefacole.com/ Please visit @athousandfacets on Instagram to see some of the work discussed in this episode. Music by @chris_keys__ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A thousand facets sits with Tura Sugden, they talk about her childhood in Australia, how she has a curiosity for creativity since childhood and how responsible sourcing and manufacturing is the most important thing for her brand. About Tura: Classically trained in both goldsmithing and fine art, Tura Sugden has a unique approach to fine jewelry design and a traditionally rooted execution. She draws upon her experiences - seven years apprenticing and studying advanced techniques in Belgium, Maine, Tennessee, Kansas and California and earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2008 - and now operates a modern atelier, melding old world goldsmithing with a contemporary point of view. Using generations-old hand building techniques, each setting is crafted from solid gold. Rolled, pulled, extruded, sawn, filed, sanded, soldered, and cut until each stone has a protective space. The studio produces only one-of-a-kind and small-production collections, with an emphasis on sustainable and responsible practices. Inspired by the bones of construction, classic silhouettes are redefined with signature settings and uniquely curated gemstones. It is a collection of essentials and heirlooms, romance and luxury, built by hand and born of tradition, thoughtfully produced using recycled gold and ethically sourced diamonds. You can follow Tura on Instagram @turasugden or her website https://turasugden.com/ Please visit @athousandfacets on Instagram to see some of the work discussed in this episode. Music by @chris_keys__ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A thousand facets sat with the McCaul brothers, Barry and David in their beautiful store in Dublin, Ireland and they chat about how their career in the jewelry industry, how they mix new technology with traditional traditions and what it is to be back on the town they grew up to open their store there. About: We are traditional goldsmiths, known for our unique modern fine jewellery. Our signature style is curvaceous, modern and elegant. Each piece of McCaul Goldsmiths’ jewellery is designed, made and set in-house, from start to finish, using traditional techniques and modern technology. We love to explore new ideas and are continually adding new designs to our collection. Visit the McCaul Goldsmiths’ ateliers in Dublin and London to watch us at work and browse the current designs in our collection. As classically trained goldsmiths, our style and forms are heavily influenced by technique and the properties of the precious metals we work with. We aim to create elegant jewellery that accentuates the curves and contours of the body. Rings gently meander around the fingers and earrings sweep and caress the contours of the neck. Precious metals are hand-forged into sweeping tapered loops; a curve highlighted with lines of tiny diamonds; colourful gemstones inspire one-off creations. Our search for exceptional gemstones regularly takes us to fairs abroad where we source our most remarkable stones. You can follow Barry and David on Instagram @mccaulgoldsmiths or their website https://mccaul.com visit their shops: Dublin Atelier: The Diamond, Main St, Malahide, Co. Dublin, K36 V2V0 email: dublin@mccaul.com phone: +353 1 5155038 London Atelier: 56 Exmouth Market, London, EC1R 4QE email: london@mccaul.com phone: +44 207 502 7033 Please visit @athousandfacets on Instagram to see some of the work discussed in this episode. Music by @chris_keys__ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices