For nearly twenty years, Kaja Gjebedo has been making jewellery informed by her belief that jewellery should not only be expressive and beautiful, but functional. For Kaja, every item should be a miniature sculpture—a little piece of art that you wear on your body. “What stands out to me about jewellery art and design is the opportunity to create something sculptural that is intended to be worn; people can relate to it in a very physical way.”
While Kaja has made a name for herself in the jewellery industry with her brand KGD, her journey to get there was not so straightforward. After training as a furniture maker and designer, Kaja realised that her true passion was for jewellery. After years of studying and working abroad, Kaja returned to her native Norway to pursue her jewellery business. Given her familiarity with the cold Norwegian winters, she became increasingly focused on the intersection between style and functionality.
“Jewellery is similar to clothing—you should try it on and feel how it feels on your body. I’m not very interested in creating jewellery that’s supposed to hang on a wall. I want to see people wearing my designs and enjoying them. I think it’s fantastic how jewellery can lift a person. It’s a bit like mascara—the right jewellery can instantly transform an outfit or a look.”
Kaja’s creation process is all about trial and error. She told us how important it is to experiment and be willing to test different ideas and techniques to see what happens. “You have to be prepared to create a lot of ugly things at first—you have to kiss a lot of frogs until you end up with a great design.” For that reason, Kaja rarely has a fixed idea in mind when she works. Rather, she just starts playing around and works through it. “One thing I love about jewellery making is the fact that you can have an idea in the morning and have something to show for it by the evening.”
Kaja also compares her work as a jewellery maker to her previous experience as a furniture designer, recalling that creating a chair was a much longer and more unpredictable process. “Imagine finally sitting down on the chair two months later, only to realise that it’s not very comfortable,” Kaja laughs. In contrast, she likes that jewellery can be tried on and easily altered during the design process.
Another aspect of jewellery that Kaja appreciates is that the industry is not seasonal. Take the clothing industry, for example, which dedicates all of its resources to finishing a spring collection, only for the line to become irrelevant by the end of the summer. “I think it’s crazy that just a couple of months after clothes hit the stores, they are already on sale.”
When it comes to sustainability, Kaja is conscious of both her environmental impact and social responsibility. She therefore creates high quality pieces that will last and be enjoyed for many years. Moreover, KGD jewellery is produced at Felicia Design in Thailand, run by Norwegian Vibeke Lyssand, which ensures compliance of ethical, social, and environmental business practices. “I think we should be working for things to have more longevity. We should try to create designs that will remain relevant for years to come.”
