Jennifer Sarkilahti is the very talented artist (she even has an MFA in painting) behind the gorgeous jewelry line, Odette New York. I met Jenny last year when I first moved back to New York from San Francisco and was in need of a studio space. We shared a space in the bright and beautiful Dobbin Mews in Greenpoint up until a few months ago, when I moved to a closer-to-home spot in the Navy Yard. I definitely miss the Mews, but I make sure to visit often.
One of the things that impresses me most about Jennifer’s work is that every design is a tiny hand-carved sculpture. She draws every idea onto paper and then translates it in to wax. The actual carving is then cast into metal using an ancient method known as lost wax casting. Everything is cast locally, in NYC. I love the fact that you can see the etchings in each piece that could only have been done by hand.
I have a number of her pieces and even had her revive a discontinued style (the feather in the first picture) to use as gifts for my bridesmaids.
Jennifer is modeling a new bag called Ainslie (not available yet), Driggs in red, and a multi-toned brown Ashbury.
The jewelry she’s wearing is Odette NY, of course. Photos by Romain Sarda.