You know when you have this adoration for a certain thing or someone’s work? I have that with the beautiful Maggi Simpkins of Maggi Simpkins fine jewelry, who is based in Los Angeles. Her designs are truly phenomenal. Each time she shares a few shots of her recent work, I’m simply in awe and this over and over again. Just as an FYI, be sure to follow her creations on Instagram, you don’t want to miss out! She has a unique aesthetic which to me looks very classy, empowering and with a touch of Renaissance. Some details remind me of the Sun King period (Louis XIV of France) when at the time things were majestic (duh!), gold everywhere, classism, multicolor, ornamental details and so on…But I’m not doing a post on history or interior design.
Back to Maggi and her refined and fabulous unique work. She creates whatever you ask from simplistic (read: classic) design to her signature style which includes gorgeous detailing from basket to band. Maggi sure has an eye for details.
Maggi on how she got started in the business: “I have literally been making jewelry ever since I can remember. It started with trips to the bead store with me as a young child- with my mom… I would take different workshops– wire wrapping, beading loom, learning how to work with chains and jump rings. I grew up in a very creative homemaking anything and everything- we would make paper, knit, sew, and all types of things. For my 9th birthday, I asked for a sewing machine, I would literally be upstairs in my room sewing up an outfit before school. So truth be told the idea of being a jewelry designer never crossed my mind- for me it was something I enjoyed.
I began designing professionally about 10 years ago for a fashion jewelry line and then took a job working with wholesale diamonds about 8 years ago where I really started to learn the trade and how things were made. I have zero “formal training”, everything I have learned has been through working with different companies, asking a lot of questions, and a lot of hard work/trial and error on my “days off”. “
“I have been really intentional about the way I have grown and developed my business. It was really important to me to understand the way that other people operated their companies, so I could figure out what works best for me. Being a “creative” and having your own business is not a one-size-fits-all all. Over time I found that really what brings me the most joy when creating jewelry is being able to connect directly with the client, get an idea of who they are, what they want, and collaborate on a really special piece for them that also tells a story. ” explaining on what creating jewelry means to her
“When I started to focus my work on custom projects, sketching naturally became (huge) a part of the process. Generally, when I sit down to work with a client we first discuss aesthetic, style and design elements they like and what they don’t like. Once I’ve got a pretty good idea of what they’re wanting I sit down and work on a sketch to make sure we are on the same page. I’ve found that the better I am at sketching, the better I am at communicating design ideas and managing expectations. Personally, I think honing in on my drawing skills has been a game changer for my one-of-a-kind projects and my jewelry in general.” as told by Maggi.
Some more comissioned pieces:
Photo’s thanks to Maggi | Portraits by Daniel Johnson | Collages by MoJ