Every December, once the holiday rush starts to die down, I try to stop for a second in the studio and look around. When you run a brand built on art, design, and jewelry, the year has a pretty natural flow; sketches taking shape, prototypes coming to life, museum projects moving along, and Christmas markets keeping things lively. It all adds up in a good way, and sometimes you get so focused on the to-do list that it's easy to forget to step back and take in the bigger picture.
While I was doing my “yearly cleanup” (basically rediscovering things I didn’t know I lost), I ended up standing in front of all our collections. New pieces, older pieces, slow-burn designs we refined over years… Seeing them together hit different. The work has evolved. The collaborations that once felt totally out of reach are now part of our normal routine: The Met Opera, The WWII Museum, The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, and others I never imagined we’d list as partners. It’s pretty great to see something that started as a goal turn into part of everyday work.
How Museum Spaces Shape Our Jewelry
I’ve always felt that good design is more about being inspired by what’s around you than copying it. And working with so many beautiful museum spaces naturally influences Kinzoku Collections, the inspiration just becomes part of the process.
You can see that influence in different ways.
The Posy Collection has a an organice flow to it.
Our Modernism pieces lean into contrast and lines.
The Vista Collection picks up colour hues and shapes from the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum.
The Architecture Collection explores the design aesthetic of renowned architects like Frank Lloyd Wright, Eero Saarinen and Frank Gehry.
And the Medici designs bring in a more refined, classical tone.
None of it is literal. These spaces simply guide how I think about things like curves, balance, and proportion. So when someone wears one of our museum-inspired pieces, they’re not wearing a replica; they’re wearing an idea, translated into something they can carry.
Making Custom Jewelry for Museum Shops
Another big part of what we do is Kinzoku Custom, where I design custom jewelry for museum shops. These projects take a more thoughtful pace and often feel like solving a small creative puzzle. They usually start with something simple: an image, the texture of the material, the shape, or a small architectural element that’s easy to miss but worth paying attention to.
We’ve created custom pieces for The Frick Collection, The Kennedy Center, the Emily Dickinson Museum, The Mark Twain House & Museum, the Detroit Institute of Art, the Getty, the Met Opera, the Guggenheim, and more. Each piece becomes part of that museum’s story; and that responsibility shapes every decision.
When Personal Art Became Part of the Brand
The biggest shift came from a simple notion: "all" art matters, whether it's in a museum or not. A child’s drawing, a quick doodle, handwriting, a pet’s paw print; these things hold real meaning on their own.
That idea became Made With Your Art, our custom jewelry line that turns everyday art into one-of-a-kind pieces. People upload a sketch, a photo, a print, a note; and we turn it into jewelry that’s personal without being overly sentimental.
When it won the Museum Store Association Buyer’s Choice Award, it confirmed something we’d been seeing for years: people connect deeply to their own creative experience, not just the art hanging in galleries.
Practical Tips for Holiday Gifting
This season can move quickly, and it’s easy to get caught up in the rush. The gifts people tend to remember are usually the ones picked with some thought; whether it’s handmade jewelry, a piece inspired by art, or something meaningful and personal.
Whatever you choose this year, aim for something that feels intentional. A gift that lasts, that someone actually keeps, and that carries a bit of a story with it.
Hope your holidays are full of little meaningful moments. Happy Holidays!
Ibai