As an adult, this has influenced the diverse inspirations, mediums, and materials she uses in her work. Particularly impacted by the amount of waste she witnessed in her youth, Karen has focused her practice on reworking everyday single-use plastics and other waste materials into pieces of art. She holds a BFA in Jewellery & Objects and a BFA in Fashion Marketing & Merchandising from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and has been working in the field as an artist and designer ever since.

Karen Kriegel is a Brazilian jewellery designer based in New York, specialising in precious metals, unique borosilicate glass components, personally curated gemstones, and upcycled materials (such as plastic straws and found windscreen pieces!). Having grown up across South and Central America, as well as the Caribbean, her methods of expression developed through multiple languages and cultural perspectives from an early age.

Karen Kriegel blends material boundaries, resulting in a feast for the senses. Fascinated by movement and mechanisms, Karen’s pieces aim to engage her audience by combining materials in unexpected ways. Her work features spinning gemstones, fully integrated glass and metal chains, and versatile pieces that can be worn in multiple ways.

WORK AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE SOON

Each stunning piece is carefully handcrafted with unique borosilicate glass components, highlighting the relationship between metals and glass. In tandem with Pyrex glass pieces, Karen seeks to raise awareness of society’s inherited throw-away culture by incorporating found and recycled materials. Currently, she is exploring themes of sustainability and waste through mixed-media pieces made with upcycled materials. Additionally, Karen believes that fun, wearable jewellery should be accessible to everyone and takes pride in offering an extensive range of sizes, aiming to be as size-inclusive as possible.