At Niyol, I believe that every piece made should stand the test of time. I believe in creating unique and simple pieces that women can wear daily on the trail or out to dinner. My hope is that each piece is something that excites and embellishes the unique beauty of each woman who wears it.
It has been important to me since the very beginning, in 2009, to use the highest quality materials and gemstones. I create with recycled metals: including 14k gold fill, a more affordable alternative to pure gold with the same aesthetic and quality; nickel-free sterling silver or Argentium; as well as a custom-formulated brass for casting that holds its shimmer and is more resistant to tarnish than the traditional casting bronze.
Many of you know and see me in the summer through the markets on the Western Slope of Colorado, my home. My creativity and design time came in a natural evolution of working markets all summer and focusing on filling wholesale and prepping for Christmas all Fall. Winter became the time when the craziness would slow a bit. It is also my very favorite season. I live in a little ski town and love nothing more than a day spent outside followed by an afternoon with a mug of tea and a book by the fire. I have found it is in these times when I become the best, most calm, and creative version of myself. This is the season when Niyol no longer feels like work or my 'job'. I am able to enter my home studio and just play with shape and form. To melt metal and scrap things and pick back up two deserted pieces and see how they may go together to create something new. A total space of freedom with no concern of outcome. Many designers sketch their ideas and have vision prior to starting. I have found, for me, that my brain 'sketches' in 3D by creating and adapting as I go.
I tend to emerge into the bluebird days of Spring with many new designs, each made once or twice. I make molds of the designs I lean toward most and from those molds, cast reproductions. Once I have castings of each design, I then tend to further the evolution through adding stones in a variety of ways. The first month or so of the Summer markets then become my informal analysis of what ideas and designs to keep vs scrap.
I love interacting with all of you and seeing what appeals to you and what simply never gets a second glance all season long. My heart always gets a little too excited when my favorite new designs match yours. It feels like an extension of the heart and space I was in when creating it has been noticed and received.
I have a really hard time keeping the same designs for long. My creativity struggles when I create something over and over again. I am much more inclined to make something once and never repeat, which I often do. Although, when running a jewelry company, it makes much more sense to limit my design catalog and create more of what you all love. I am currently trying to find a better balance of that.
This little business has grown as an actual extension of me and my life. We are intertwined and Niyol is my child, my heart, and so much of my growth in life. I genuinely strive to create a durable and beautiful product that connects to you and your life. I have so much gratitude for you, my customers, many of whom I now call friends. I am able to walk the road I walk because you make it possible. I live an unusual life and count my blessings daily. So, thank you. Thank you for being here and being a part of this with me.
Warmly, Lara