Five Questions for the Bench with Master Jeweler Kelsey Lee-Karol
Co-owner Kelsey John Lee-Karol is a Platinum and Goldsmith with an A.A.S. degree in jewelry design, repair, and manufacturing, and certification in gemology from Minneapolis Community and Technical College.
He has gained a breadth of knowledge and experience from working in a wide variety of prominent jewelry industry settings in the Twin Cities metro area for over a decade. From high volume to high value, fine precision to fine art, you may already be wearing a piece he had a hand in! He’s the one on the right…
What’s the most challenging thing you do on the bench?
Working with emeralds and opals…they’re fragile, and can be brittle. They’re so beautiful and are among my favorites, and they take a high level of focus and care to set.
What’s your favorite tool and why?
The laser welder is my most valuable tool, because this machine can accomplish and assist so many activities that traditional goldsmithing would take so much longer or have a possibly inferior result. But with the laser welder, I can do those tasks with precision and confidence. The laser welder opens up a whole new world of design possibilities.
What’s the most valuable piece of jewelry you’ve ever worked on?
Well, the most expensive piece of jewelry I’ve ever worked on was an Oscar Heyman ring with a 17+ carat vivid fancy yellow radiant cut center, with two half moon cut diamonds on either side that were 5+ carats each–valued at just over a million dollars! But, the most valuable pieces of jewelry I work on are the heirlooms people bring us that have been in their families for generations that couldn’t be replaced. Sometimes, little pieces of costume jewelry hold great meaning as well. I bring the same level of care to pieces of all values.
Editor’s Note – Did you know that New Gild Jeweler offers antique jewelry restoration?
As a custom jewelry designer, what happens prior to sitting down at the bench?
I have lots of conversation with whomever the piece of custom jewelry is for…..we let that marinate for a while, and come up with some ideas that we put down on paper with sketches. Sometimes an idea will just come to me out of nowhere that’s right in line with what we had talked about. I love designing and sketching on a new piece of custom jewelry–that’s my favorite thing. It’s exciting and even nerve-wracking and so satisfying when it’s done well.
What’s the spiritual dimension to what you do?
I think of myself as a conduit for ideas that are floating either in clients’ minds or out in the ether, and if I’m lucky enough, I can tune into an exciting idea. I really believe that ideas have a life of their own, and there’s some combination of seeing the collective unconscious through your own lens that really creates exciting design.
Bonus question: Your business partner calls you a master jeweler–are you? I’m flattered by the master jeweler designation, but there’s not a universal certification here such as European jewelers have…..by the Malcolm Gladwell “10,000 hour” rule, maybe you could call me a master jeweler. The most important thing is to go at everything with a beginners’ mindset, because every job will teach you something new even if it’s something that you’ve done thousands of times.
Meet master jeweler Kelsey Lee-Karol by visiting our custom jewelry store, located in the Linden Hills neighborhood of Minneapolis, MN.
