Casey Perez // Casey Perez Jewelry
Casey Perez introduces us to her structural jewelry line, including how she finds inspiration from the bauhaus movement and architecture.
Earrings: Chime Earrings, Bracelet: Continuum Bracelet, Rings: Miro Ring, Wave Ring.
You grew up in Texas but came to New York to study psychology and art history at NYU. How did you make the transition to jewelry design?
My entry into the world of jewelry was the result of a bit of chance, curiosity and a big leap of faith. I was always very creative and developed a fondness for creating and making things from an early age but I didn’t realize you could make a career out of these things.
While I was deeply interested in the subjects I was studying at NYU, it was only a matter of time before the creative energy of the city would reignite that side of me. After learning about an intro to jewelry course offered at my school, I spontaneously decided to enroll. After the first few classes, I was hooked. I loved working with a tangible medium and the ability to bring my ideas to life. After graduating, I decided that this was the new path I wanted to embark on and have been doing it ever since.
What was the first piece of jewelry you created that you felt the most proud of? When you knew this was what you wanted to do forever?
I think it might have to be this ring I designed when I was in school. It was this abstract wing that I carved out of jeweler’s wax and then cast into silver. I loved the excitement of seeing it take shape and come closer into being with each step. The ability to transform raw materials with my own two hands and bring my imagination to life felt like a special sort of magic. As jewelers, we get to be masters and creators of our own small worlds where the possibilities are infinite and it was precisely this that spoke to my heart.
Earrings: Chime Earrings, Bracelet: Continuum Bracelet, Rings: Miro Ring, Wave Ring.
You’ve worked with some great brands like Pamela Love and Madewell. How did working with them prepare you to launch your own brand?
It was a really valuable learning experience to work at places like these because I got to see what goes into running a business and what that looks like at companies in different stages of their growth. What are they doing that’s the same or different? What might work or not work for me if I were to try this on my own? These were all valuable takeaways for me when it came time to start my own brand.
Tell me about Casey Perez Jewelry – where the brand started, and how you now see it. When did you launch the brand, and why?
I started out just making jewelry for myself and friends. Eventually I got the courage to approach my first store with just a handful of styles and they sold. I knew I was onto something and things just grew organically from there. I started designing collections and expanding into more stores. Now, I’ve ventured into working with gold and diamonds and launched my first fine jewelry collection last fall. I’m always exploring and learning something new. Whether it’s a new skill I can apply to designs or discovering a better way to run something in my business, the brand is always evolving and that’s something I find very exciting.
When I started the brand, I didn’t know if anything would come of it. I just knew that I wanted to create pieces with a lot of thought and intention behind them, from the design and conception to how they are crafted. I wanted people to feel a sense of connection to my jewelry, so sharing my process and inspiration has always been an important part of the brand. I didn’t want to make jewelry that would just be another object, but instead artful keepsakes to wear, inspire and find joy in.
Earrings: Chime Earrings, Bracelet: Continuum Bracelet, Rings: Miro Ring, Wave Ring.
Who is the kind of person who wears Casey Perez jewelry?
A bold, independent and curious one. One who appreciates artfully made things with a story.
Who is your dream client?
Jewelry is such a personal item so to have my designs resonate with someone in such a way that they keep coming back to me for their jewelry is really special. I recently had a client that came to me after falling in love with one of my rings and wanted me to design a custom version for her wedding. It’s always a dream to design for clients like this.
Earrings: Dot Studs
You previously went by the name Artifacts- why did you choose to change the name of the brand? How has it changed in the past few years?
My brand has grown so much since I first started and it’s seen a lot of change which has been really exciting. I’m working with new stores and have expanded into fine jewelry. My brand is constantly evolving but the one thing that will always remain constant is me, so it felt like a natural decision to change it to my own name.
Earrings (on Casey): Dot Studs, Earrings (Being Made): Verner Earrings.
How do you envision the future of your brand? How does Casey Perez evolve over the course of the next decade?
Some of the things I’d love to in the next decade would be collaborating with other artists in different disciplines and expand into designing other things like objet d'art, furniture and lighting. The possibilities are endless!
What is your design process like?
My work and designs are very hands on and process oriented. I love sitting at the bench and playing around with my materials when I’m exploring ways to contextualize my inspiration. It helps me visualize and test things out and often unearths brand new ideas in the process. Once I’ve worked through this stage, I’ll sketch out specific ideas that I’ll take to the bench and start creating a prototype in metal or wax. I’ll usually make a few prototypes to perfect all of the details before arriving at the final design. If a design requires a high level of precision, I’ll refine the prototype in 3d and have it printed.
Where do you find your inspiration?
I studied art history in college which was the start of my fascination for the world of art, design and architecture. I’m inspired by modern design movements like the Bauhaus and artists like
Valentine Schlegel and Sophie Taeuber-Arp. I l also love looking at old design books, checking out galleries and browsing through the picture archives at the library.
You work mainly with metals. What draws you to these materials? How did you learn to work with metal?
I love working with metal over anything else because with just some basic tools, it’s possible to fabricate a piece from start to finish and walk out of the studio wearing it. I’ll work in wax sometimes but that requires a trip to the caster and waiting a day or two to get it back. It doesn’t have that same immediacy that I love about metal.
I learned the basics of metalsmithing in school but each metal has a personality of its own. Sometimes it’s stubborn and refuses to cooperate, other days it behaves perfectly and is your best friend. Mastering its temperament has come with a lot of practice and learning from my mistakes over the years. I’m always learning new skills and techniques to work with it which keeps it exciting.
Can you tell us how sustainability comes into play in your practice?
Sustainability is a journey and something that I am always striving for. I use materials like recycled gold and silver whenever possible so that I don’t contribute to new mining activity. To reduce my carbon footprint, I cast all of my pieces locally in New York City with family run casters that source their metals from conflict free mines. I also source the majority of my materials like stones, findings and chains locally. In the studio, I collect any gold and silver scraps that may have been created in the fabrication process so that they can be melted down and used again. I also use shipping materials that can be recycled as well as reuse any packaging materials like bubble wrap wherever possible.
Necklace: Pendulum Necklace, Bracelet: Continuum Bracelet, Rings: Miro Ring, Wave Ring.
You work in a shared space for a variety of jewelry designers. How do you come to this space? What is your relationship like with the other designers who work there?
It’s a very welcoming and opening environment in the studio. We all come from very different jewelry backgrounds so we’re always learning new things from one another and try to help one another out. Whether it’s exchanging tips on setting a tricky stone, swapping business advice or just nerding out on jewelry things that no one else would understand, we’re all very supportive of one another.
What’s your personal approach to style?
I tend to gravitate towards classic silhouettes and timeless pieces over the more ephemeral trends. I’m all for having a wardrobe of staple pieces that I truly love versus things I will wear a few times and then get rid of.
Ring: Archway Ring
Do you have any jewelry in your personal collection that wasn’t made by you? If so, what are they? What other brands do you like to wear?
More than I can count. I’m a big fan of vintage jewelry and have quite a lot of it that I’ve accumulated throughout the years from my travels, or that was given to me. There are too many to count but some of my favorites are a silver onyx ring I got in west Texas and a filigree tassel necklace I got in Denmark.
Earrings: Mirage Hoops, Ring: Archway Ring
In these last photos, I’m wearing the Mirage earrings (they come in two sizes!). I looked to furniture quite a bit for inspiration when I designed these. The work of Jean Royere and Ettore Sottsass really resonated with me and I loved how these undulating lines were an element they all embraced in very different ways.
Thank you so much, Casey!
