SATOMI KAWAKITA

18K Gold and Oxidized Sterling Silver
Circle Necklace

Japan’s twenty-six year old Akashi Kaikyo Bridge is a marvel of engineering.

With an expanse of over 12,000 feet not only is it the world’s longest suspension bridge but it was created with state-of-the art technology to withstand harsh sea currents.  Japan is also the birthplace of Satomi Kawakita.

Clean and simple arrangements are a staple of Japanese culture.  Iki (elegance without exuberance) and wabi-sabi (impermanence and imperfection) are centuries-old Japanese ideologies that find their way into the country’s approach to interior design as well as jewelry design.

For the most part Japanese jewelers tend to keep their aesthetic pure, linear and delicate cultivating designs that are buoyant like a soft breeze or a gentle rain.  

New York-based Kawakita’s ready-to-wear and custom jewelry of gold or platinum engagement rings, 18-karat gold necklaces, and sterling silver bangle bracelets are a study of minimalism tinged with grit.

Designs cast in hand-carved wax molds are organic and not perfectly symmetrical with surface textures and oxidation.  The necklaces are the most transient of her designs: dainty and ultra-delicate.

Although her slim band engagement rings are her signature, her sterling silver, 18-karat gold plated and solid 18-karat gold double finger rings (each metal at different price points) provide a pared down edge to the collection.

18K Gold Plated Sterling Silver Cuff Bracelet

“I have been fascinated by design since I was a child,” says the Saga Art College graduate.  “My mother was a dressmaker and she made most of my clothes.  

My mother was a big influence on my decision to become a jewelry designer.  When I lived in Japan I studied metal, clay and textile design.  I studied with a glass artist for a few years and I taught myself how to make jewelry with glass beads.

I moved to New York in 2002 and I worked for Richard Scandaglia to learn about diamond settings.  Rings are what I like the most to make.  Before I opened a studio I started making rings in my bedroom and I would show them to my friends.  They liked them and started to place orders.  That is how it started—very slowly—and by 2008 I launched my jewelry line.”

Kawakita’s simple, flowing design approach is perfect for the self-contained woman who loves beauty presented in a way that does not clutter or distract.  As Kawakita’s high-end jewelry brand continues to grow the jeweler still builds designs without sketching trusting instinct to direct her.  Wax molds and precious gemstones are scattered in different areas of her studio waiting for their moment.

Assortment of 18K Gold and Sterling Silver
Gemstone Stacking Rings

“My work combines an unusual organic sense of beauty with impeccable craftsmanship that results in jewelry true to my style and vision.

I appreciate the mystique and beauty in natural gemstones, minerals and metals.  I always aspire to turn these materials into something wearable.”