Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Kahn.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Jennifer. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I always knew I wanted to work with my hands… make a living from my hands. I’ve had a love of and fascination with jewelry for as long as I can remember. The path unfolded before me, my senior year at the University of Vermont, discovering Precious Metal Clay (PMC) and meeting renowned jewelry artist Celie Fago. For nine years, I was her apprentice and teaching assistant and I traveled with her around the country and abroad.
I’ve been selling my own jewelry locally in Vermont for over a decade. I’ve sold my work at craft shows and in galleries across Vermont and been included in exhibits in the US, UK, and Japan. My work has been featured in top jewelry magazines and several books, and made the cover of the Lark book “Stitched Jewels”. Over the past 4 years I’ve been growing my wholesale business and getting into more and more stores, I’m now in 30 stores across Vermont (galleries, boutiques, spas, yoga studios, shoe shops, general stores…) and 10 shops around the country. I’d love to find places in and around Boston to carry my work!
I love what I do and feel very lucky to be doing it!
*The JK symbol that I use is not only my initials, it is also the Chinese symbol for “Forever.”
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Well, what isn’t a struggle? Being a woman…paying off student loans forever… living as an artist… running a small business… Vermont winters… but eventually, toiling away at something for years and years, you start to get somewhere. In general, I feel the path that I was on was very clear and mostly smooth and that was how I knew I was meant to be doing what I was doing. There are certainly blips here and there but I find it’s important to learn from them, get through them, move forward. I enjoy taking on new challenges, if you love what you’re doing, that makes all the difference.
Please tell us about Jennifer Kahn Jewelry.
My jewelry designs fuse old and new, industrial and natural, urban and ethnic. I work with high quality and ethically sourced materials and recycled silver including: PMC (Precious Metal Clay), 24k gold, sterling, copper, brass, semi-precious stones, found objects, leather, and feathers. Through all of this craftsmanship is key, which causes me to think about every part of a piece, the back must be as compelling as the front. For that reason, most of my pendants are reversible. Comfort is another thing I take into consideration, rings are smooth inside and earrings are lightweight. I patina most of my work and give it a matte finish which gives it more of a raw and rustic look, very different from other jewelry.
The best compliment I get from my customers is hearing how many compliments they get when they wear my work. Having sold at the Burlington outdoor Artist Market every summer for 14 years, I have built quite a lovely and amazing following here. I love that so many women tell me that they meet other women at the coop or yoga or dining out because they recognize my jewelry on one another and it makes for a great ice breaker and friendship starter! I’m proud that I recently reached 4500 Etsy sales. I’m super stoked that Phish contacted me last year to start making some jewelry for their Dry Goods shop and that I designed an exclusive line for Stella Mae Boutique. I’m thrilled to have just opened a brand new production and showroom space in Burlington’s South End.
Pricing:
- My pieces range from $35-$150 with the average being in the $60-$70 range
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jenniferkahnjewelry.com
- Email: jenkahnjewelry@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.jenniferkahnjewelry.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/jenkahnjewelry
- Other: www.etsy.com/shop/jenkahn
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
