September Showcase. Kitty Joyas
Kitty, a London based designer-maker, started her jewellery journey at seven years old, selling shell bracelets along the beaches in Wales. In 2018 she founded Kitty Joyas whilst living in Barcelona, updating old school glasses chains to create the ‘Beady Eyes’ product line. The success of her debut collection fuelled the desire to finesse her craft more, so she went on to study at a jewellery school in the heart of the city. Due to the Catalan language barrier, she learnt how to make her first pair of gold hoops entirely through sight. Learning and working with the Spanish artisans gave Kitty the freedom to develop her own style, without the influence and constraints of more traditional methods used back home in the UK.
Following a post-masters degree in rural Henley, Kitty continues to celebrate traditional techniques and innovate with playful design in her collections. Growing a community of loyal customers, Kitty has also launched a bespoke service, allowing her to create unique and meaningful one-of-a-kind jewellery pieces that can be cherished for generations to come.
“I learnt to be a lot freer with my tools than artisans would have been historically; I’m less meticulous with measurements and allow the metals to form more naturally. That’s what gives pieces the Kitty Joyas aesthetic”
OUR VALUES & SUSTAINABLE ETHOS
At the very heart of Kitty Joyas is the celebration of local craftsmanship and a circular mindset. We only work with recycled metal from the UK, provided by suppliers that have certification of their product’s traceability. All our gold plating is fairmined which means that the gold was mined by certified small-scale mining organisations embracing responsible social & environmental practices. Instead of using large factories around the world to produce our jewellery, we can get our pieces cast, polished and engraved by family-run businesses just a 20 minute cycle away from our studio. Supporting British trade, and building meaningful relationships with our suppliers is something we are incredibly proud of.
We focus heavily on minimising as much waste as possible within our production. By creating our pieces in limited runs or as made-to-order designs, we reduce the risk of over-production completely. In addition to this, all excess metal from the design process is collected and melted back down before being re-imagined into new creations. We find a use for everything, making sure that every last bit of material is treasured.
At Kitty Joyas, we do everything we can to reduce our impact on the environment. In an industry where sustainable methods are rarely 100% practised throughout, we work hard to challenge the status-quo on how our jewellery is produced. As a business, we are continuously evolving, and aim to reduce our impact more and more in the future.