Jennifer Kellogg
About
Jewelry, as an art form, has the power to create moods, provoke opinions and produce reactions. This is the design philosophy that New York based jewelry designer Jennifer Kellogg follows in creating and developing her own unique collection of jewelry. Although she uses precious metals and stones in her work, the design is of much greater importance to Jennifer than the intrinsic value of the materials she works with. Her ultimate goal is evoking humor, whimsy and rare imagination through the use of striking color and inventive design in each of her pieces, which is what gives Jennifer Kellogg her signature look.
When the mood strikes to create, Jennifer finds inspiration for her clever designs in familiar and recognizable things from the natural beauty of fresh flowers and the brilliance of diamonds, to the graphic and vibrantly colored icons of the classic slot machine. “Often, it is the materials that can become inspiring and sometimes, it is something else something, that draws you back for a second look. My real passion is to take objects or forms that are not normally seen as jewelry and transform them into clever reinterpretations that are wearable and fun. This is what I feel makes jewelry really, truly memorable and valuable. It’s my way of inspiring other people to see that jewelry can be beautiful without having to always conform to what is expected,”explains Kellogg.
Born and raised outside of Washington DC, Jennifer’s interest in jewelry design began at the young age of 12 when she found herself making earrings and pins out of painted papier-mâché. But it was quickly becoming apparent that this adolescent pastime was much more than that as Jennifer’s talents far exceeded her years. So much so that her work caught the eye of a local woman, who invited young Jennifer to sell her papier-m&aciric;ché jewelry in a boutique near the Capitol. This invaluable experience encouraged Kellogg to continue making jewelry through out high school and over the next few years, she began displaying a flair for fantasy and whimsy in her design and exhibited a remarkable talent for incorporating ordinary objects and materials like seashells and small stones into her work. These were the beginnings of the distinguishing style that can now be found throughout her collection.
In 1993, Jennifer received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Rhode Island School of Design, where she learned the fundamentals of traditional jewelry making and began developing her signature style. Kellogg then moved to Amsterdam where she apprenticed with leading Dutch jeweler Philip Sajet, while continuing to design and exhibit her own works throughout the city of Rotterdam. After declining her acceptance to the Royal College of Art in London, Jennifer moved back to the States for the opportunity to work with American jewelry artist Pat Flynn. During this time, Kellogg refined her pieces into a collection, cultivated her own contacts and started to sell her own work through prominent galleries and shops in the United States. Soon thereafter, the Jennifer Kellogg jewelry brand was launched in 2000. As her young business began to grow, Jennifer’s innovative designs quickly caught the attention of her peers and the press alike. Subsequently, she was accepted into the prestigious International Jewelry Designers’ Guild (IJDG) in 2001 and to date, her jewelry has been featured in some of the top consumer and trade publications while also appearing on Sex and the City and worn by several celebrities including Gwen Stefani, Paris Hilton, Kelly Osbourne and Amy Sedaris.
She has also participated in several group museum shows including the Smithsonian and Museum of Contemporary Craft. Several books, including 1000 Rings and 500 Necklaces, has published her work.
Today, Jennifer spends time with her family and gives her all to bring her special touch to the creation of memorable jewelry.