Hannah Keefe. This girl and her blow torch have designed and created statement jewelry that doesn’t have to the be the center of attention. While her pieces grab the eye with their intricacy, they still have the ability to compliment EVERY.SINGLE.OUTFIT. Versatile is the last word I would ever use to describe statement jewelry, yet here we are.
Hannah has been using chain and solder in her designs from the get-go. When I asked how her jewelry has changed over the years, she said “I used to try and show off more with my designs, like 'look how cool and complicated this thing I made is!'. As I've made jewelry longer, I realize it's about the woman who will wearing the work, not my own ego. I want women to see themselves in the work, not me." She did this transition by creating room in her designs for the woman to showcase her own style. “I muted the designs a bit to make them more wearable.”
She has been working with the same sterling and brass chain material and the solder process for 15 years. She flies to Providence, Rhode Island once a year to buy her supply of vintage deadstock brass. It comes from Japan and South Korea, and unfortunately, there is a finite supply, so it’s not forever. (This piece of news basically made me want to stockpile her jewelry, not that I didn't want to in the first place.)
Hannah came up with a game changer piece and concept when she herself wanted a simple, barely there bracelet that wouldn’t catch on clothes. She said she was very comfortable with her torch, so she took a wire and soldered it to her wrist. It cannot be taken off. One might say these permanent bracelets are a cross between a best friends necklace and a tattoo...
Since then, people from all over have made appointments at her studio and attended her permanent jewelry events for bonding bracelets of all sorts... mothers and daughters, a gaggle of UCLA intensive care nurses, a woman from Qatar, and a constant stream of friends. She has even had couples come to her studio to make their own wedding rings. My favorite part of her permanent bracelets is that its imperfections are part of the look.
I learned that there were lots of mentions of her jewelry online, but she didn’t have her own website or an instagram account. This was the first thing I asked about. How do you have a successful business without a website?
Until last month, her business was happening by word of mouth. “I’m so grateful. I was lucky. It’s rare that you can just put your head down, do your work, and people find you.”
She described her business as one of slow growth. She studied at Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, worked full-time as an artist assistant for 12 years, and started off by putting her own designs in craft galleries. “I worked from home for nine years before getting a studio. Those poor apartments were a mess when I left.” Sidenote: sometimes beauty can come from a mess. She said most of the designs start with her messing around with the stuff on the junk table.
After years of people getting on her case about building a site and utilizing social media, Hannah recently succumbed to the pressure, and now you can find her online at www.hannahkeefe.com and follow her on Instagram @hannahkjewelry. Prices begin at $120.
You can also find her jewelry in the Hammer Museum Store in LA, General Store in Venice and San Francisco, The Cooper Hewitt Design Museum Store and Oroboro in New York City.
I found these online options as well:
I asked for a glimpse of some of her latest designs, and was blown away by these earrings.
After you've had a drink of water, and gotten your heart rate down from seeing those earrings, have a look at the gallery below.
I am a person who looks for coincidences in life, so I think it’s worth sharing how I ended up in the studio of the designer behind some of my jewelry pins on Pinterest. I was one day silently admiring this stylish woman’s bracelet, and she ended up randomly inviting me to her friend’s studio sale, which happened to less than two miles from my house. I went to said sale, wanted everything I saw, and bought a necklace that feels extra special because I saw where it was made, and got to meet Hannah herself. Turns out she’s a real delight, easy to talk to, and I worked up enough nerve to invite myself back to learn more about her and her jewelry so I could share it here. Living in LA, I don’t get easily starstruck, but I am completely in awe of artists like Hannah. She's not just talented as hell, she's also kind, warm and funny. Total package, this one.
