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From the Studio: Poetry of Flowers Collection
The Poetry of Flowers Collection has been years in the making. What originally began as a quest to make a charm collection to tie in birth stones or birth months, evolved into something much more meaningful (and detailed!) while still also fulfilling the original concept. The new Poetry of Flowers Collection poses the question: you are the flower... but which flower are you?
Comprised of twelve charms, each with its own flower and special shape, all made with 100% recycled 14k yellow gold. Every flower has two qualities engraved on the back, ranging from loyalty & love to joy & remembrance. Let's take a peek behind the scenes of the design journey of the collection with our creative director and design team!
On concepting the collection
"We had been searching for a way to express temporality, or seasons, while not being beholden to something too tied to a specific birth month. After so many years, birth flowers felt like the right framework to hang our collective hats on - but we couldn’t stop there. Each flower poem charm has a small hidden element that comes from our Catbird world: a spider hangs from the rose, daffodils emerge from a basket (we love baskets), a swan bobs behind a water lily, and morning glory creeps up a chain link fence - just like our neighborhood in late summer.
I hope you love the Poetry of Flowers collection as much as we do. I believe there is a flower for everyone, and for all occasions, from sad to sweet. You are the flower."
- Leigh, Catbird Creative Director
On the designing the flower..
"The collection started with a first round of sketches that were just little rough flowers inside tiny oval shapes. We made pages and pages of sketches for each flower and it’s design elements, referencing vintage jewelry, embroidered hankies, ornamental frames and some talking flowers from Alice in Wonderland. We knew we wanted to develop the charms in CAD so we could incorporate our long list of tiny design motifs like a bat behind the marigold, a snake border around the chrysanthemum and Poppy seeds around the poppy. We tried to use a variety of shapes and picked each one according to the flower it fit best."
- Rebecca, Catbird Designer
On developing the handwriting on the back of the charms..
"We went back and forth with our CAD designer trying to find a font that closely matched Jasmine’s beautiful handwriting but nothing felt right and all the fonts just felt too commercial. We decided to make a font out of Jasmine’s actual handwriting and vectorized each letter as its own tiny little drawing to use as the engraving."
-Borah, Catbird Designer
"I collected lots of pens this year, trying to figure out which ones worked the best. My favorite pen was always the Muji brush pen, but for the text in the charm collection, I used a Pantel Sign pen because it gives nice crisp lines. Highly recommend it! "
-Jasmine, Catbird Designer
How long was the design process for the collection?
"Oh man…I don't even know… Honestly, if there hadn't been a deadline we’d probably still be working on them. Each and every detail was thoroughly, deeply considered, like rotating a half millimeter star 10 degrees so it was just askew enough from the one next to it or making sure the border of the snowdrop charm had the same spirit as the lace handkerchief we were pulling inspiration from.
The Water Lily was particularly difficult because it included an entire scene behind it. We didn't want anything overshadowing the flower however we didn’t want to take away too much detail from the swan, the lake, and the night sky - finding the right balance was tricky. Also getting the Daisy just right took many iterations. The face was so small we were worried it would be lost once the piece was polished. Getting it the right size and depth took a few edits but it turned out just as we had been imagining it."
-Borah
Favorite details...
"I love the Daisy smile of course, and any featured creatures that might be found in a garden, like the spider, snake, bat, and butterfly." - Jasmine
"I LOVE the poppy seeds around the border of the poppy charm. This was a last minute Leigh edit and it turned out being my favorite charm out of the bunch specifically because of that detail. And the Daisy charm. That little face kills me." - Borah
"My favorite detail is the chain link fence on the morning glory charm. It reminds me of Brooklyn in the summer." - Rebecca
Styling Tips
"Definitely getting a Daisy charm for my Daisy girl! I’m excited to see them all in a jumble - specifically the Daisy/Rose charm with the Little Butterfly / Gentle Spider charm next to it! Like the charms are seeing themselves in a painting, or mirror if that makes sense!" -Jasmine
"I love these on a thin ribbon, or anchoring a long necklace with other charms. I also like the idea of tying a bow onto the bail with a ribbon and wearing it on a choker." - Borah
"I love the idea of getting one for each of my loved ones and wearing them in a jumble on a longish chain or tucking a single charm into the clasp on a bracelet." -Rebecca
Meet the Flowers
Full of hope & beauty
Snowdrop is January's birth flower
Full of love & protection
Violet is February's birth flower
Full of creativity & renewal
Daffodil is March's birth flower
Full of hope & new beginnings
Daisy is April's birth flower
Full of humility & sweetness
Lily of the Valley is May's birth flower
Full of gratitude and grace
Rose is June's birth flower
Full of truth & peace
Water Lily is July's birth flower
Full of strength & memory
Poppy is August's birth flower
Full of enduring love & care
Morning Glory is September's birth flower
Full of remembrance & joy
Marigold is October's birth flower
Meet our Studio
MEET OUR STUDIO
Our big, beautiful, sun-drenched jewelry studio is our pride and joy! Meet some of the #catbirdjewelers who not only hand make all of our pieces, but also model for us!
Made with care in our Brooklyn Studio
A white (recycled!) diamond floats from a 14k yellow, rose, or white gold chain
Our best selling chain as a ring! Dress your hands up with solid 14k yellow gold.
A cannoli with pearl filling - made fresh by our #catbirdjewelers
A whip of gold, threaded into place with a recycled diamond button. The coolest!
Catbird Spotlight: Borah
Meet Borah, she is part of our small and mighty and wildly creative in-house design team. A trained architect turned jeweler with over a decade in the business, she shares her full circle Catbird moment, places of inspiration, and a hint (!) at something the design team has been working on, coming soon - we promise!
How long have you worked at Catbird?
Coming up on two years in May!
Hometown:
I grew up in Westchester but have lived in Brooklyn for the past 15 years
What neighborhood do you live in?
Clinton Hill
What originally got you interested in jewelry?
When I was little I LOVED going into my mom’s jewelry box and looking at all the pieces she collected over her lifetime. Each piece had a story like a small artifact from that moment in her life. I fell in love with the idea that a charm could bring back memories of childhood or an old love. It’s still my favorite thing about what I do, it’s like creating tokens for future memories.
When you are at the jeweler's bench, which piece is your favorite to make?
I feel like I should say one of our more sparkly pieces like the Snow Queen Ring or the Unicorn Horseshoe but I really love making Threadbares! There’s something so meditative about the soldering and hammering. Each one carries the imprint of its maker and when I worked in the store, I loved seeing the way our customers wore them : one on every finger, a stack of 20, the most delicate wedding band… They’re also one of the first pieces our jewelers learn to make which is really special!
What piece are you excited about right now?
It’s an oldie but I’m ALWAYS excited about the Greco Lariat. It looks amazing on everyone and looks great both layered and on its own. And I’m extremely excited about an upcoming collaboration we’re working on with an extraordinary artist!
Where do you look for design inspiration?
New York City is always serving up inspiration. I am a subway ride away from some of the best museums in the world -The Met, MoMA, The Noguchi Museum, The Photo Archives at The New York Public Library. It is the setting of some of my favorite movies from the 70s through the 90s. I’m inspired by the things that stand here and feel like they will be fixed forever and by those that pass through--the rain running down your face while you do a midnight run to the bodega.
What is your favorite material to work with?
I love a good glowy moonstone.
What's your favorite part of the design process?
I love the moments right after we’ve gotten a new project or a design briefing. It feels boundless. It’s like word association but with jewelry…this kind of stream of consciousness designing where most of it makes absolutely no sense but some of it could *possibly* be something worth exploring further. It’s always interesting to see where the freedom of just throwing things out there will take you.
Describe your journey to Catbird! (Your backgrond and how you learned your craft.)
I've been making jewelry out of anything I could get my hands on for as long as I can remember (clay, candy wrappers, office supplies, you name it) but for one reason or another, it never occurred to me that it could be a career. It was like it was too much fun to be taken seriously. I wound up going to school for architecture and by my third year, was completely burnt out. My friend got me a job at a jewelry studio he was working at in the East Village because I couldn’t bear another summer internship behind a computer and it was there that I realized that making jewelry for a living was a very real possibility. I was so deliriously happy in that sweaty basement on 9th Street that I couldn’t imagine doing anything else with my life. I left school not too long after to start my own line however a couple years in I was questioning my decision and thinking about going back to school to finish my architecture degree when Leigh (Catbird’s co-creative director) reached out on Etsy to ask me about carrying my line in the store. I knew about Catbird (obviously…having been a jewelry obsessed person living in Brooklyn) and after texting all caps messages to every contact in my phone and having a celebratory mid morning alcoholic beverage, I took it as a sign that I was on the right path. I had my line for 6 years and have since worked in a number of jewelry studios and have held just about every position that exists. Being able to be at Catbird doing what I love, 10 years after they unknowingly gave me that boost of confidence to keep me doing that very thing is such a surreal and beautiful full circle moment.
What do you love about living and working in Brooklyn?
I’ve gone to school, worked and lived in the same neighborhood for 15 years. My first apartment in Brooklyn was in a loft across the street from the Navy Yard and years later, one of my first jewelry studios was in that same building with a couple friends that own a furniture company who are now operating out of the same building Catbird is in at the Navy Yard. There’s just something about this community that draws in and keeps creators and creatives. The support that small businesses give each other is so uplifting and it’s so motivating to be around so many people who value creative fulfillment. I honestly don't know if my path in life would've been the same had I lived anywhere else.
Best neighborhood spots near the Brooklyn Navy Yard?
Oh man, there are SO MANY good restaurants in Fort Greene…Olea, La Rina, Colonia Verde…I’m also a sucker for a dive and Alibi is one of the best (worst?).
Borah's Picks
Studio Notes: The Big Little Charm Collection
The Big Little Charm Collection has been TWO YEARS in the making!
It started with a short list of ideas which then turned into endless sketches & drawings by Jasmine on our design team (she is a font of ideas).
The list grew and grew, twisting and turning to all sorts of wonderful places.
When it was time to decide which of the ideas to put into production, Rony and Leigh, our creative directors, had to come up with an organizing principle beyond “this is cute!” Because.. well, they were all cute!
The list grew and grew, twisting and turning to all sorts of wonderful places.
When it was time to decide which of the ideas to put into production, Rony and Leigh, our creative directors, had to come up with an organizing principle beyond “this is cute!” Because.. well, they were all cute!
The design team moved forward with concepts that had an element of surprise and a story, or emotional response. Pieces like the Holy Cannoli.
And said no to pieces that would lose their sense of self in the movement from sketch to gold (for example, they didn’t think they could crack the beautiful idea of a cloud with a silver lining.)
The design team moved forward with concepts that had an element of surprise and a story, or emotional response. Pieces like the Holy Cannoli.
And said no to pieces that would lose their sense of self in the movement from sketch to gold (for example, they didn’t think they could crack the beautiful idea of a cloud with a silver lining.)
From sketches, the charms are brought into 3D form with wax! Each charm went through two or three wax iterations before it was cast.
The first casting is made in 5k gold. These rough castings are finished by hand so that additional design details could be added.
From sketches, the charms are brought into 3D form with wax! Each charm went through two or three wax iterations before it was cast.
The first casting is made in 5k gold. These rough castings are finished by hand so that additional design details could be added.
Details like adding antennae and engraving the wings of the butterfly, or giving texture to the bottom of the mushroom cap and a toasted texture to the bagel.
We also tinkered with modifications like where the perfect bail placement was and which tiny pearl was the right size for filling the cannoli.
Details like adding antennae and engraving the wings of the butterfly, or giving texture to the bottom of the mushroom cap and a toasted texture to the bagel.
We also tinkered with modifications like where the perfect bail placement was and which tiny pearl was the right size for filling the cannoli.
From this perfected metal object, we create a mold for all future castings of 14k yellow gold and silver - the charms you will wear and love forever!
We hope you love the charms as much as we do! We are excited to show you more.
xo,
The Catbird Team
P.S. A special shout out to Rebecca & Jasmine from our design team who have really seen this project through from start to finish - and now beyond!!
In the Studio with Satomi Kawakita
Satomi Kawakita’s Tribeca atelier is a pretty perfect extension of her jewelry. Both her work and environment make use of warm colors blended with organic texture and geometric shapes. In a room supported by exposed brick walls and beams, under architectural lights, sits an oval shaped mid-century sofa and marble table. Every detail down to the leather serving coasters has a touch of Satomi’s hexagonal trademark. “I really like making and finding beautiful things; my heart beats for these things and those moments,” explains Satomi. “Even at home with friends, I like to cook for them and serve with the beautiful tableware that I have been collecting over time.”
Over the past 5 years, Satomi has filled Catbird with her stone and shape compositions, and adorned countless brides with their own Hexagon Ring, designed to stack in a manner of self expression. We chatted with Satomi on her beginnings, what she’s excited to be experimenting with, and of course our mutual favorite topic of conversation, food!You’ve been working and designing in New York since 2008. What led you to this point?I graduated from Art College in Kyoto, Japan with a major in living product design. I studied not only design itself, but also how to work with and embrace different materials. In that time, I worked with wood, metal, ceramic and textile. But after watching a program on TV one day, really fell in love with the art of glass blowing and decided I needed to explore it. I began to take classes at a local studio in Osaka while still in school. Doing glassblowing for five years made me realize that I was more comfortable working on a smaller scale, with more detailed pieces, at my own pace. I started making some accessories with glass beads and found I couldn't find clasps on the market that suited the design. I thought it would be nice if I could make it myself; that's how my interest in jewelry making started.What was the first piece you made that really took off?It would have to be my Hexagon Ring. The geometric shape is timeless and resonates with a lot of people, it's our signature. The turning point was definitely my exposure on the former blog Unruly Things, written by Alyson Brown. She introduced some of my rings on her blog at the end of August 2010 and changed my world. That, and the day Catbird started carrying my line. Both of those 2 moments happened in late 2010 and my life has never been the same since.
Describe your work in 3 words.Organic, delicate, simple.Are you experimenting with any new designs?I’ve been trying to make an Eternity Band with Pearls. I’ve been experimenting and trying this for years now, but haven't been entirely satisfied with the end result. I’m not sure if I can make this happen, but let’s see, I'm tenacious. My design approach has not changed for years and I don't think it will. My line has always been designs I, myself, would wear: organic, yet timeless. But I am always looking for new materials and something fun to work with like our One-of-a-Kind series.Who would you most like to see Satomi Kawakita on?My grandmother who passed away in 2013 at the age of 100. I always wanted to make a ring for her, as the Opal ring my grandpa gave her got too loose on her skinny finger. Unfortunately, though, it never happened.Browsing Satomi’s Instagram, you’re bound to be as mesmerized by the pastries as you are by the gems. We had to end our interview with Satomi’s Top 5 food picks in the city.Burrow, #1, of course. Ayako is an amazing artist and a great friend of mine. Not to mention the pastries are delicious.Kajitsu and Brushstroke for dinner. I go there when I need to treat myself well.The French Toast from Ladurée.I go to Hanamizuki, often, to get rice balls.
