Jill Kathleen Designs
Jill Gower, founder of Jill Kathleen Designs, has been making jewelry since she was a child. Her high school friends might remember her as their source for beaded daisy chain necklaces and her parents lovingly supported her addiction for buying vast amounts of seed beads. It wasn't until she took her first metals class at the University of Wisconsin in Madison that she fell in love with metalsmithing. After earning a bachelors degree in Art Education, Jill went on to receive her MFA in Metals from Arizona State University.
Jill Kathleen Designs are handmade, exceptionally crafted, and created for everyday wear. Her work is comfortable, warm, and sentimental. She draws inspiration from delicate crochet and lace patterns, and is drawn to historical decoration and ornamentation from the Baroque and Victorian periods. She strives to capture the sentiment of these inspirations, yet translate it in a unique, contemporary, and understated way. Jewelry is much more than metal and gemstones, jewelry evokes and connects the wearer to memories, symbolizes loved ones, and can stand for life's milestones. One of the reasons that Jill strives to create heirloom quality jewelry that creates memories, connections, and can be passed down for generations.
Because Jill Kathleen Designs is committed to providing an ethical more eco-friendly alternative to mass produced jewelry, the materials for the jewels are ethically sourced and the gemstones are sourced through reputable companies that can provide mining and cutting locations for each stone. Jill is a Fairmined Licensee; all gold used in her designs is certified Fairmined, and is mined through Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM). Fairmined gold is backed by a rigorous audit system that ensures that small mining communities meet standards for responsible practices. When purchasing gold jewelry from Jill Kathleen Designs, small mining communities benefit directly. Her rose cut focal point diamonds and smaller round brilliant accent diamonds are Canadian. Canadian diamond mines are known as some of the most environmentally regulated in the world; these diamonds are able to be traced from mine to market and go above and beyond Kimberley certification with track-ability. When Canadian diamonds cannot be sourced Jill uses repurposed/recycled diamonds purchased from reputable suppliers.
Based: Southern New Jersey, USA
Ships to: Currently US, Canada, and Mexico. Soon expanding.
Products: Ethical jewelry: rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets
Mission: Jill Kathleen Designs was founded with ethical sourcing and sustainability at the core of the brand. Jill carefully sources all of her metals and gemstones to insure that they are ethically sourced and cut and able to be tracked from mine to market. She creates unique, handmade fine jewelry that the conscientious wearer can trust.
Vision: Jill Kathleen Designs is committed to providing an ethical more eco-friendly alternative to mass produced jewelry. Each piece is carefully and lovingly designed and handcrafted by Jill in her New Jersey studio. Jill Kathleen Designs are bold, yet feminine, inspired by lace, crochet, and floral patterns. Each piece is hand finished to create a natural raw surface.
Picture by Michelle Nakasato.