2 minute read
Falk Jewelry Designs
Kerrin Falk began designing jewelry at the age of 10, and sold her earliest designs from a driveway stand at her family’s home in Madison, Connecticut. Her creativity was inspired and encouraged by her grandmother, Patricia, an artist and outdoors enthusiast who was affectionately known to her fellow fisherfolk as “Bluefish Patty.”
“She would give me her old tackle boxes and I used them to organize my beads,” says Falk, who recalls taking trips to Providence, Rhode Island, and spending “every penny of her babysitting money” on tiny seed beads.
Falk’s grandmother worked in different artistic mediums, often including a seagull design in her artwork, in memory of her late husband. While she never had the opportunity to meet her grandfather, Falk has carried on her family’s legacy by using a seagull in the logo of her own small business, Falk Jewelry Designs.
“I think because I grew up with art and artists all around me, it became ingrained in my brain,” says Falk, whose father is a wellknown art appraiser and younger sister is a fine artist.
Educated at Tabor Academy in Marion, Falk excelled in painting, drawing and sculpture. “By studying all forms of art, you learn to pay attention to the smallest details,” she says. She went on to study art history at the University of Texas-Austin, with a focus on Byzantine, Meso-American, and African art and jewelry. After graduation, she moved to Denver, Colorado, to work at an art gallery, and it was there that she officially launched her jewelry business in 2010. Two years later, she and her husband moved back to the east coast and Falk began honing her jewelry making skills at Rhode Island School of Design. She learned the art of lost-wax casting, an ancient process where metal alloys are made into a design using a wax mold. As her business has grown, this unique form of jewelry design is one of the things that has set her apart.
Now settled in Hingham with her husband and three young daughters, Falk spends much of her time designing jewelry in her home studio. She sources precious and semi-precious stones from all over the United States and says that her jewelry designs are inspired by both the urban landscape of Boston and the beaches of the South Shore.
Tiny shells, bits of coral and twigs are cast into one-of-a-kind sterling silver and gold-plated pendants (her collection also includes baby shoelace castings). Custom-made jewelry is Falk’s specialty and she particularly loves working with customers to design pieces that suit their personalities or for special events such as bridal parties and graduations.
Birthstone necklaces are a customer favorite and something that is also close to Falk’s heart; she wears a necklace with citrine (November) and sapphire (September) stones in honor of her daughters’ birthdays. “I’ve barely taken it off since I had my third baby, and she’s now 3,” says Falk. On special occasions, she likes to layer her birthstone necklace with one of her “flock” necklaces, an original design that features a series of delicate brass “birds” perched on a chain.
“Jewelry can be so meaningful, with birthstones or healing stones, but you can also make it so sexy,” says Falk. “You can have a simple, elegant piece, or a bold statement piece. I love it all.”
Balancing being a business owner and a parent isn’t always easy. “The days that I don’t set time aside for my business and for myself are hard days,” she says. “But when I get my work hours in, that time counts as meditation to me because I love it that much. I’m so grateful for that.”
For more information, follow @falkjewelrydesigns on Instagram, or visit falkjewelrydesigns.com.