check-in with jeweler in residence sadé hooks

 “To date the residency has been an amazing experience. I’ve mentioned this a few times in the past but having space to be creative both literally and metaphorically speaking has not only given me a place to retreat and work on new ideas, but it has also given me room to let thoughts and ideas grow. 

As part of the residency, I got to do a shoot with an amazing NoLo photographer Janelle Jones…

At the beginning of the program I had the opportunity to participate in NYC Jewelry Week’s annual ‘Here We Are’ activation - which was kind of amazing seeing as I spent the past couple of years watching NYCJW grow and have wanted to to take part since its inception. Here We Are as a whole has been a wonderful group to be a part of - it’s a great support network and an opportunity to learn the ins and outs of the industry from professionals. Through them I was able to launch the Wide Awakes collaboration I did for the collective which was pretty exciting, considering how quickly it all came together! I got to shoot that project with another amazing photographer at NoLo Anjelica Jardiel!

As one of the 2020/2021 ‘Here We Are’ participants I was also included in an editorial shoot  featuring a handful of other Black jewelers with renowned jewelry photographer Alain Simic.

I just wrapped up a huge project for a Black Girl Ventures x Nike activation. A friend based in LA invited me to create a custom ring for this collab and I wound up creating a small signet style ring inspired by championship and graduation rings. 

I had a VERY short timeline to complete this project and learned a lot about en masse jewelry production in the process. I worked with a lot of new vendors - which is never not scary in these kinds of situations - mostly because I knew they would be able to produce under immense time constraints. Luckily - everyone delivered!

One of the best things to come out of the residency so far is to have access to this amazing support network of jewelers who are connected to NoLo. They’ve all come to my aid at the 11th hour with advice and vendor contacts in the Diamond District. That alone has been invaluable to me.

One thing I struggled with before this residency was finding good and trustworthy vendors in the diamond district. I had spent a lot of time and money working with businesses that wouldn’t do the best work or damage pieces. When you’re new to this industry, these hiccups can be costly. Through the NoLo team and through folks like Hilary at A and C Gem Cor I’ve been able to expand my vendor network and work with some really great folks in the district - and thus have been able to pass those recommendations on others. 

During this time I also have gained more visibility from a sales and press perspective - which has helped my overall visibility. My work was featured in Wallpaper* and my pieces are now being carried in Berte in Beacon, NY and in December Thieves in Boston.

Throughout the residency I’ve been working on a number of commissions - lots of wedding bands! It’s always an honor to be invited to create something that will not only walk with them over this beautiful threshold, but also will hopefully live with them forever. 

Here’s an organically shaped engagement ring made in peach gold, featuring a one of a kind rough yellow diamond (with an amber inclusion) from the Anabar region of Siberia, and custom mood ring in the works…

Here are two wedding bands I designed for a couple in Singapore. Both of them wanted their design to be inspired by ‘chain’ - so I took two different chain methods and deconstructed them. Hers - a flattened Byzantine chain, his a squared curb chain. The bride’s stones (rubies, emeralds, and sapphires) were sourced from one of the residency sponsors, AC Gems and Rough Diamond World.

I initially tried to make the Byzantine chain ring out of wax - mostly to see how the weave actually works.  It took me a few days to make the whole ring - the loops kept breaking! The final ring is a CAD design.

Earlier this year, a friend of mine had not only kicked cancer but also just turned 50. She wanted to cement the occasion with a ring - which wound up becoming two rings. While thinking about stones to use, I remembered her telling me that she has a lot of lineage in the Czech Republic - which automatically made me think: MOLDAVITE! My friend loved this idea, as the stone really resonated with her emotionally and spiritually. It’s not a stone that I’ve ever sourced or used before but I was down for the challenge. I wound up finding the perfect stone from an Etsy seller who sourced directly from the region. The smaller band is made up of 13 (her lucky number) salt and pepper diamonds sourced from Rough Diamond World. 

Amidst all of these commissions I realized I really needed to make something for myself! I spoke with a vedic astrologer towards the end of last year and he told me that I needed to wear a gold ring with a yellow sapphire as a form of protection (because of where my planets are positioned lol). So I decided to make a donut ring with a yellow sapphire that I found at AC Gems. A friend of mine loved this ring so much that I wound up making her a blue sapphire version for her birthday. 

I firmly believe that one’s education is ever finished, that we’re always in the process of learning and growing. Even if we’ve become masters of our craft (which I am NOT!) - there’s still more that we can learn.  That said, in early spring I made the conscious decision to start taking jewelery classes again - both in person and online. Not being a traditionally trained jeweler, a lot of what I knew consisted of various hacks that I learned from the handful of classes I had taken, books, and video tutorials. It has been really refreshing to start from zero - to act like I don’t know anything and to essentially retrain my brain to work in new ways. A couple of projects from my classes. 

I’m currently taking a short break from commissions to work on expanding my current collection. Including:

• Turning Medusa into a necklace
  

• Reducing the overall size of the Medusa ring (this is mostly for production purposes)
  

• Creating a few necklaces inspired by ‘childsplay’ -- a state/frame of thinking that I’d like to be in while I’m in the studio.
  

• A bunch of one-off/one-of-one rings.
  

I’m also so excited to utilize the rest of the gemstone credits generously donated by A and C Gem Co. and Colombia Gem House in upcoming projects!'“

- Sade Hooks