Kimberly Ruchaber took a circuitous route to jewelry design, veering from a photography career that inspired her first creations.
She still brings an artist’s mindset to her work as the creator of Kyote Modular Jewelry, crafting every piece by hand with an open circle as the focal point.
The design evolved from Ruchaber’s attraction to spirals as a symbol of spirituality, continuity, motion and growth. "When I simplified my spiral, I realized the open circle is the beginning of that continuum," she said.
It’s enough to make the average shopper go, "Huh?"
Ruchaber is active on the craft fair circuit, where she demonstrates the versatility of her modular pieces starting with "The Complete," a piece that can be worn six ways — from bracelet to necklace to belt.
"I grew up in Oregon, so I don’t embrace the idea of getting rid of things and buying something new all the time, but I certainly love to change things up all the time," she said. "I like the idea of transcending style so a person can wear a piece and make it their own and change it as fashion changes."
Feathers may be in one year and out the next, so her modular concept allows the wearer to swap "add-ons" at whim, whether to match trends, an outfit or a work, nighttime or casual outing.
"Now everyone wants chunky, so I have chunky."
"The Complete" is sold at Sand People at Ala Moana Center and at 767 Kailua Road for $175 in sterling silver and $245 in gold. The piece includes three gemstones that serve as focal bead, accent bead and dangling bead. Add-ons such as druzy crystals and sunrise shells can be purchased direct from Ruchaber for $25 to $110 each.
"One of my customers is a flight attendant, and she takes ‘The Complete’ with her all over the world. She said it’s the only piece she needs," Ruchaber said.
"The thing I didn’t foresee that I like is that the modular concept makes the jewelry accessible to people. It’s a collectible, so people can keep adding. I have people who have been clients for six or seven years, and if they have a baby, they’ll add an element to celebrate the occasion. I like that."
Ruchaber might never have made the leap from photography to jewelry design if she hadn’t taken a printmaking class at the University of Hawaii.
"I received my master’s in fine art at UH, where they do a diversified curriculum, so I had the opportunity to try a lot of different media," she said. "My emphasis was on photography, but I also studied metalsmithing, which enabled me to create small-scale sculptures. I always enjoyed reconstructing and making jewelry pieces for myself, but I hadn’t had formal experience in designing jewelry. I learned to cast and etch metal, and solder."
More inspiring was her printmaking class, where she was interested in transferring a photographic image onto a metal plate. At first the idea was to transfer that image onto paper, but it was the plate itself that intrigued Ruchaber. She was able to fashion bracelets from miniature images etched onto copper.
"I didn’t need to go further, and my instructor said, ‘That’s just the tool; it would be like loving a negative,’ but I love photographic negatives, too. For me, that was the piece."
She preferred working on small-scale objects anyway.
"To tell you the truth, I was intimidated by fire, so even though I learned to use the acetylene torch, it’s not the kind of thing you can use anywhere."
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Kyote Modular Jewelry is a regular at the Kailua Town Farmers Market, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays at Kailua Elementary School, 315 Kuulei Road. Ruchaber also will be at the Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives Holiday Craft Fair on Small Business Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 30 at 553 S. King St., and the Lanikai Christmas Craft Fair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 7 at Lanikai Park.
