Los Angeles-based brands Kinn Studio and Janessa Leoné have teamed for a fine jewelry collaboration: the Cascade Collection.
“We speak the same language,” said Leoné, hatmaker and accessories designer, of working with jeweler Jennie Yoon of Kinn Studio. As independent, self-funded brands, they found common ground in their shared aesthetic, a sentiment they both echoed.
“We’re focused on the raw materials, the quality of the product and the intentionality of the design,” said Leoné, who launched her namesake line of wool hats in 2013. “We’re not putting out these massive collections every year, because we have had to do things very intentionally, had to run very profitable, sound businesses.”
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The 10-piece line — sculptural rings, earrings and ear cuffs — are made from 14-karat gold and sterling silver, using lab-grown and natural diamonds.
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“People are more comfortable in mixing metal,” said Yoon, who established Kinn Studio in 2017 with a vision to create modern heirlooms. “We’re like, ‘Let’s offer them both and give them the choice.’”
A tribute to L.A.’s coastal landscape, each piece aims to capture the fluidity of water, the waves of the Pacific Ocean intertwining with the cityscape, through flowing, organic curves.
“It’s interpretive, it’s dynamic, there’s multifunctionality,” Leoné said of the collection, which is entirely manufactured in L.A. “It’s inspired by transformation.”
The rings can be worn as ear cuffs, and vice versa. “I loved the versatility that we could play into with the actual designs itself,” Leoné went on.
Priced between $180 and $5,080, the collection is out Thursday. It’s available exclusively on kinnstudio.com and janessaleone.com, as well as each brand’s respective store at Platform in Culver City, Calif.