(Maria's Piola collection now available at Hemline)
Maria Ismert is the up- and coming- jewelry designer of Piola, a collection of pieces based on a marriage between eclectic and classic. Based right here in Kansas City, we were lucky enough to sit down with Maria and find out a little more about her collection, inspiration, and her own style secrets.
Hemline: Why did you decide to start designing jewelry?
Maria Ismert: Making jewelry perfectly combines my passion for art and design and working with my hands. However, I didn’t start designing my own until I went to my first bead show in college; it was love at first sight. I wanted fun, inexpensive, and unique ideas for birthday and Christmas gifts too. Frustrated with the current jewelry market and my own personal collection, I bought a few tools (on a very low budget) and got to work. I began dissecting my old jewelry –a combination of vintage, garage sale finds and cheap plastics—and pairing them with more modern, colorful stones. My friends and I began sporting my light-weight pieces you wouldn’t find anywhere else, and the rest is history…
H: How would you describe your design aesthetic?
M.I.: As a painter, I see my jewelry as an extension of my art-nouveau-inspired canvases. I like things to pop amidst a subtle or organic backdrop. The juxtaposition of faceted, creamy mint chalcedony with vintage gold chains or a splash of hot-pink felt hand-wrapped in gold wire was very different, yet very attractive.
H: Who are your favorite designers?
M.I.: Scarlet Garnett Jewelry (Kansas City, MO) is amazing. Rustic and elegant is sultry, and these girls understand that.
H: Where do you like to shop?
M.I.: Since the 6th grade, I’ve been swapping clothes at ATC in Westport. There’s something about sorting through second-hand separates from perfect strangers and cleaning out your closet at the same time. But honestly, Hemline and Anthropologie is where it’s at.
H: How would you describe the woman who wears your jewelry?
M.I.: Confident and progressive, but relaxed; willing to mix it up while listening to her mood.
H: What makes your jewelry unique?
M.I.: Piola experiments with new materials and new combinations. I never repeat the same piece twice. Whether it’s an old sea shell paired with a mod pendant, connected by snake-skin chain, I create pieces for every occasion, mood, and season.
H: What's your style mantra?
Your wardrobe is your canvas too; Art should be apart of everyday life.
(Some of our favorite items- love the turquoise necklace!)
These seem just like the type of jewelry my girlfriend might like!
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