The Review Connection | Review: Katharine Sise Jewelry

Katharine Sise Jewelry

A Self-Made Success: Jewelry Designer and Author

Katharine Sise is as creative as you can get. Not only does she design and oversee her own successful jewelry line, but she is also author of a new book, and a guest fashion specialist for television shows. Katharine Sise Jewelry launched in 2004 and has been seen on starlets such as Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, and Kelly Ripa. Among her pieces, her favorite materials to use are antique chains and natural materials like wood, shells and semi-precious stones. While Katharine realizes jewelers often imbue their own style into the pieces they create thereby making every designer unique, she hopes to create pieces that feel individual and special to the wearer. Based in New York City, she also handles a lot of custom design as it is still her favorite way to work. “It is very satisfying to create an individual piece with the wearer in mind and incorporate their favorite style elements or a vintage piece they already own into a new design,” she says.

Katharine was inspired to launch her own collection because she has always loved jewelry and enjoyed playing in her mother and grandmothers’ jewelry boxes as a child. When she first became interested in fashion as a teenager, she loved the way jewelry could transform an outfit and how personal it could be. “I loved combining sentimental pieces—like a locket or charm my parents gave me—with vintage finds,” Katharine adds. From the start, she knew she wanted to make her living artistically. Katharine studied Acting and Creative Writing at The University of Notre Dame. She never took any design courses and simply taught herself how to make jewelry, although now in retrospect she says, “It would have been much easier if I’d just taken a class!” Her first jewelry sale was a couple of years after college when she sold her earliest pieces at a boutique called Dernier Cri in New York City. Soon, her business gained momentum and Katharine learned the ropes as she went.

Katharine Sise Jewelry Aside from her passion for fashion and jewelry designing, she always possessed a full creative spirit as she also loved to write and act. Her creativity ventured towards writing and as a result, she already published her first book. Published by Running Press in September 2010, Katharine’s first book, Creative Girl: The Ultimate Guide for Turning Talent and Creativity Into a Real Career, is filled with words of wisdom. This practical book provides women with entrepreneurial advice on how to turn their passion and creativity into a profitable career. Katharine shares her advice for women of all ages as she herself is proof that one can turn their creative dream into a reality. From one who has walked the walk, Katharine shares insider tips on how to handle a business, brand oneself and gain publicity without breaking the bank.

She also greatly enjoys the collaborative work of television as she has done numerous on-camera work and guest appearances for networks such as Oxygen and The Discovery Channel. Katharine also co-hosted a television show on the Home Shopping Network for over a year. Katharine Sise Jewelry has been featured in numerous fashion magazines such as InStyle, Glamour, Marie Claire, Vogue, and Elle, and was coined “Designer to Watch” by Lucky magazine. She has designed jewelry for many national fashion campaigns like Vera Wang and Gap and even collaborated with Target in Summer 2009 to present a versatile and trendy collection at an affordable price. Katharine Sise Jewelry is comprised of the Meg collection, Claire collection, Multi-Chain collection, Noelle collection, and Caroline collection. Her line also includes a fine jewelry collection and Mr. Sise men’s collection.

Katharine has her own personal favorites, which are the multi-chains necklaces from the Multi-Chain collection. She adds, “I feel dressed and ready to conquer the day when I add one to an outfit.” The darker, heavier ones add a rock edge to a subdued outfit while the daintier multi-chains add femininity. When wearing a chunkier multi-chain, she tends to Katharine Sise Jewelry pair it with a necklace or earrings from the fine jewelry collection as she likes the balance of heavy and light. We also adore the Multi-Chain collection for its multi-layer necklaces featuring an assortment of chains, pearls, stones, and trinkets. Our Editor’s Pick is the KS002 Multi-Chain Necklace, which is comprised of various lightweight silver chains with different styled links and a strand of beautiful citrine stones. This necklace is then accented with a dark amethyst quartz teardrop and a rustic sterling silver locket to add a vintage feel to the chunky piece. What makes this necklace fun to wear is that it can instantly add character and vintage appeal to any outfit, from jeans and a shirt to a simple dress. The multi-chain, chunky look draws attention but remains unique and eclectic.

Katharine loves to layer pieces, especially bangles and necklaces, and usually wears one big statement piece like a big cocktail ring or a chunky necklace. Her favorite designers include Alyssa Norton for necklaces and Megan Greene for rings. She is no stranger to traveling the world as she has visited India, China, Egypt, Belize, France and South Africa during the past two years. While all the countries were very influential in her designs, India was the most influential as she loved the way women adorned themselves with prayer beads, bangles and henna. In India, she fell in love with the idea that the body was a canvas for jewelry, art and faith which she simply describes as “beautiful.”

Katharine Sise Jewelry Our second Editor’s Pick is the Black Multi-Layer Chain Necklace, which is custom made and also featured in Lucky magazine. This dark and stylish necklace features six different strands of chains with various links and beads, all in a uniform glossy black giving it a pulled together look. The reflective sheen of the ebony chains adds a hint of sophistication and pairs so well with a crisp shirt or a black blazer. When asked how she comes up with ideas for her designs, she exclaims, “There is so much beauty when you open your eyes to see it.” Her inspiration for a new piece can come anywhere from a crowded subway in New York to walking her dog in a quiet park. She is often inspired with a jewelry design idea while reading (or writing) a book and imagining what the character would wear. Katharine is a one woman team as she handles everything from designing and marketing to advertising and sales.

Her collection changes annually, but they continue to sell pieces which customers respond to well. At the moment, she really enjoys being able to design jewelry, write books, and do television work. In the next five years, Katharine hopes to improve and grow all three aspects of her company. Currently, Katharine Sise Jewelry is sold at Tobi.com and Azalea in San Francisco. She is currently designing a new collection for Castor and Pollux in New York City. “One of my favorite things about jewelry is how timeless a great piece can be,” she says.

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