Karin Jacobson

March 29, 2021

Karin Jacobson is an exhibiting artist in our Spring 2021 show 'Built to Last' featuring seven artists that implement sustainable and ethical practices in their studio and material sourcing. Much like Pistachios, these artists are Built to Last.

Shop the other exhibition artists here and read more about Karin below!

Q: Where did you study Jewelry/Metalsmithing and when?

A: After taking a short class in high school with a local jewelry designer, I got an apprenticeship with her and that eventually became a job working as a bench goldsmith for just about 7 years. I learned a lot from her and since I did a lot of production work, I got a lot of practice. But any techniques that I didn't learn working for her, I figured out on my own in the years that followed - so partially self-taught as well.

Q: What inspires your work?

A: This mini-collection was really inspired by the geometry of the hexagon cut stones I've been working with so much lately. I played with the shape to create pieces with movement - especially in the hinged pieces - where I wanted the metalwork to catch and reflect the light. I also like to create work that is interesting on all sides - jewelry that it is not just beautiful when worn, but when viewed from any direction.

Q: Do you have a favorite piece you've made?

A: I always have a current favorite, which is usually something that was recently finished. (That would be Chalcedony Articulated Snake Earrings.) And my all time forever favorite is my engagement ring which is 18k yellow gold with a fair trade teal sapphire from Malawi.

Q: What made you want to start making jewelry?

A: I fell in love with the process of making jewelry in my very first jewelry class. I had always been interested in art - but I thought I was more interested in 2D art until I tried my first jewelry class - at which point I was hooked. I love the small details and precise nature of the work.

Q: What is your favorite process? Why that one over others?

A: I love the process of coming up with new designs - especially when there are a few parameters to work around and it becomes a problem to solve. (For example, coming up with the bracelet clasp was a fun design problem, and I love how it turned out!)

Q: Who is your favorite artist/who do you wear?

A: Ooh - so many to choose from! But at the top of my list are Rachel Atherley (I have several pairs of her earrings) and George Sawyer (I have a Wabi Sabi bracelet). These are pieces that I keep in heavy rotation - even during a pandemic when I barely see other people at all!

Q: Is there an artist on your personal wishlist that you hope to own one day?

A: I love Leen Heyne's work - his style is so clean and modern, and it looks deceptively simple - but I imagine that it is incredibly difficult to make!

Q: What is something you would want someone to know about your work that they might not know?

A: I'm the person who makes each and every piece!

Q: When you're not making jewelry, what are you doing?

A: I love to travel (and look forward to getting back to going places again in the future), but my two favorite things that I've been able to keep doing during a pandemic are cooking and being being physically active (running, skiing, biking, yoga). Luckily those two things go together well!

Q: What does sustainability mean to you/why is sustainability important to you?

A: To me, sustainability means first examining the supply chain that I’m using and considering the impacts (environmental, political, social, economic) on the people who are part of that supply chain, and then supporting those suppliers who are both doing the least bad and doing the most good. It can be tricky to get information about where things come from and who is impacted along the supply chain, and not all answers you find fall into the binary categories of simply “good” and “bad” - sometimes they fall somewhere on a continuum. But It is important to always try to do the research because peoples’ lives can be hugely impacted by the decisions we make and where we decide to spend our dollars.

Q: What made you want to start a sustainable practice

A: Like many people, I first became aware of issues in the diamond industry with ‘conflict’ diamonds. I’d read a few articles and books on them and discovered that the conflict diamond issue was only part of the problem - that even in places where there were technically no conflicts, many diamond and gemstone miners are stuck in unsafe working conditions and with terrible pay. From there I learned about a whole host of other issues from gem cutting to gold mining. I was saddened to discover that a lot of the precious materials that jewelry designers work with have pretty awful impacts on the lives of the people who source them. And that made me want to find the suppliers who were trying to make a positive impact in the lives of miners, cutters, and others in the supply chain.

Q: How can the everyday person incorporate sustainable practices into their everyday life without getting overwhelmed or breaking the bank?

A: I think the first place to start is simply by considering what you’re purchasing and where it came from - whether it is food or clothing or jewelry or whatever. Not everything that is sustainable is necessarily more expensive - in fact, sometimes being more sustainable can be as simple as just having less stuff - which is definitely less expensive! But the other thing to remember is that you don’t have to change your whole life and everything you use and buy all at once - just start where you can and consider the idea even a few changes can make an impact.

Q: What is a piece of advice that you want to give people that want to start living sustainably but are intimidated or think it’s too complicated?

A: I’ve always liked the saying, “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good”. First of all, I don’t think there even is such a thing as “being perfect" - but more importantly, no matter how long a person has been trying to live sustainably, they're probably still in the process of trying to do better. The easiest thing to do in life is to just ignore problems like these - but the second easiest thing to do is to just start with one place to make a change - and that really isn’t very hard! And the more you try, the more you learn, and the easier it gets!

Karin Jacobson
She/Her
Minneapolis, MN

Exhibiting in 'Built to Last'

CLICK HERE TO SHOP HER WORK!

Karin Jacobson

Also in Pistachios Blog

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Katerina Pimenidu

Rho Tang