About

  • Mission and Process

    In all her work, Karin Luvaas strives to marry the beauty of the natural world with the elegance of adornment.

    Color, natural stones, elegance, and simplicity are the core elements of Karin's jewelry line. 

    For Karin, the journey of creating the jewelry is just as important as the finished product. Whether she's carving wax, casting, cutting and polishing stones, or fabricating jewelry pieces, she's always most delighted when learning and discovering something new.

    A passion to continually explore and experiment informs her creative process and drives her to constant innovation in her craft. She's a proponent of life-long learning, and works tirelessly to expand her skills, exploring new techniques, and allowing herself to be inspired by the field she loves. 

  • Experience

    Karin earned a BA degree in Fine Art, magna cum laude, at San Francisco State College. After graduation, she continued her art education studying at Crucible in Oakland, California where she discovered her passion.

    At the Revere Academy in San Francisco, she studied with Alan Revere himself, along with many master goldsmiths and accomplished, award-winning jewelers.

    Karin went on to earn her Graduate Jeweler designation from Revere, a Graduate Gemologist certificate from the Gemological Institute of America, and Jewelers of America Bench certification.

    Karin started producing handmade, fine jewelry and launched her own jewelry business in 2019.

    Now a jewelry teacher herself, Karin inspires her own students and teaches courses on lapidary, enamaling, casting, stone setting, and fabrication.

  • Sustainable and Unique Materials

    Earning her Graduate Gemologist Certification from the Gemological Institute of America opened Karin's eye to the endless varieties of gemstones and minerals this world has to offer. She's particularly drawn to stones with detailed inclusions, color changes, and mineral deposits - all details and features that make each stone perfectly unique and a true one-of-a-kind, just like the person who wears it.

    All mine-to-market gemstones featured in Karin's jewelry are traceable and conflict free, following the Kimberley Process. Karin personally sources the majority of her own gemstone materials and only buys from trusted vendors with whom she has established relationships. These vendors support fair trade and have a proven track record in the industry. Whenever possible, gemstones are sourced directly from small mine owners, locally in the United States.

    In addition, Karin only works with vetted jewelry-making companies that are committed to minimizing environmental impact and that practice ethical sourcing in all aspects of their operations.

  • Ethical and Transparent Practices

    Karin handcrafts all her jewelry in Washington state and adheres to both transparent and trustworthy ethical jewelry-making practices in her studio. To reduce environmental impact, she does the following:

    Packages all items in recyclable packaging materials

    Uses LED lights in the studio

    Seeks to use the least-toxic chemicals whenever possible and utilizes a professional hazardous waste disposal/recycling facility

    Recycles all precious metal and non-precious metal scraps, so they can be recycled again

A Letter from Karin

Hi, friends. I'm Karin.

The focus of all my pieces, gemstones in their endless varieties are a constant source of inspiration and a driving force behind my work.

Visiting trade shows like the Tucson Gem and Mineral show allows me to uncover something exciting to incorporate into a new design. Even more thrilling is when I visit mines and other natural mineral deposits to source my stones directly from the earth that created them. Hunting for rare and interesting stones has a thrill factor involved.

Color and texture also move me. I graduated with a fine arts degree in painting and sculpture before discovering my love for jewelry making. To me, jewelry making feels like I’m painting with gemstones.

Complicated designs push my creativity and improve my skill set. Learning new ways to improve the process inspires me to develop better habits and better jewelry.

A deep understanding of jewelry creation, from concept to completion, is integral to my work. Performing each step by hand allows me to fully center my daily life around the intimate nuances of creation, which is the most important part of my process.

By incorporating not only sight, but also smell, sound, and touch, I can immerse myself in the creative process. There’s a lot of problem solving and personal learning that comes along with this process, and it’s important to make room for an unexpected discovery.

As a fellow lover of jewelry and accents that enhance your style, I invite you to explore my collection to find the pieces that are uniquely you.

Sincerely,