A Thousand Facets

A thousand facets sits with Karen Cheung from Kerchung!

They talked about her background in animation, how she found her voice through porcelain and how her work is a statement!

About:

Kerchung! is the brain child and brand of Karen Cheung - illustrator, animator, artist and all round angry woman. Her work centres around saying what you think, speaking the truth, supporting the less privileged and fighting the good fight against hatred. Mental health, reproductive rights, racial justice and women’s rights are just some of the causes that Karen is passionate about and supports through her work.

Each piece of Kerchung jewellery is carefully crafted by hand, infused with tongue-in-cheek humour and laced with a vicious edge. Porcelain clay is wrestled into shape, fired and sanded, decorated by the most patient hands, glazed and fired again. Those with 22k gold lustre detail are decorated and fired a third time, making each piece a labour of love and one of a kind. Slight imperfections are part of the charm of this collection, and reflect the handmade nature of our products.

We also now offer a line of fine jewellery options in sterling silver and solid gold, as well as some fun gift items such as t-shirts and prints.

Karen is assisted in everyday studio work and the making of the ceramic pieces by wonderful Chantal Rush, who herself is a ceramicist and all round super human being.

You can follow Karen on Instagram @kerchungcreative or her website

https://www.kerchungcreative.com/

Please visit @athousandfacets on Instagram to see some of the work discussed in this episode.

Music by @chris_keys__

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A thousand facets sits for a second time with Max Danger to discuss what he's been up to since we last spoke and about his solo show on Hello the Roses opening on June 19th in Copenhagen.

About:

Trained a fine jeweller from Copenhagen and with a MA in Jewellery and Metal from the prestigious Royal College of Art in London, Danger started up his own brand Danger Jewels.

His love for precious metals, gemstones and his meticulous attention to detail is projected into the work along with his life long passion for illustrating.

 The MA at The Royal College of Art was spent perfecting ways to integrate these passions and making them work in symbioses. His pieces are inspired by contemporary journeys and narratives, combined with a vivid imagination.

Growing up reading comic books and later finding the Copenhagen suburban street scene, Dangers practice delivers highpolished edgey contemporary pieces made with a respect for the traditional virtues within jewellery.

 Amongst his achievements is the Theo Fennell Award for Overall Excellence and the Best New Design Award from the Worshipful Goldsmiths Company in Great Britain.

Please visit @athousandfacets on instagram to see some of the work discussed in this episode.

You can find Max Danger 's work at: https://www.dangerjewels.com/max-danger

or visit his Instagram page @danger_jewels

Music by @chris_keys__

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A thousand facets sits with Märta Mattsson, they talked about her fascination with the tension that lies between attraction and repulsion and how she chose insects as her medium of work.

Märta Mattsson work will be available for viewing at pistachios gallery in Chicago from June 4th - August 30th

About:

Sometimes I see beauty in things that other people find strange or are even repulsed by. I become fascinated when there is something you do not want to see and the feeling you get when you do not want to look at something, yet you still do. My jewellery deals with the tension that lies between attraction and repulsion. I take seemingly inappropriate materials, making ordinary and familiar objects seem extraordinary and unfamiliar.In the 18th century many new breeds of animals and plants were discovered and it was the main era of cabinets of curiosities. People collected rarities because it gave them the feeling of being in the presence of something extraordinary and marvellous. The cabinets of curiosities were not meant to sympathize with the creatures on display, only marvel over their oddity. In a world where not many new and exotic breeds are discovered I use dead creatures in my pieces to evoke wonder. The creatures are transformed and reborn; given a new life as objects of astonishment.

You can follow Märta on Instagram @martamattsson_jewellery or her website

https://martamattsson.com/

Please visit @athousandfacets on Instagram to see some of the work discussed in this episode.

Music by @chris_keys__

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A thousand facets sits with Ena Mulavdić from Elird Jewellery and discuss meeting her husband Ebrahim Mohammadian and how they both have built a wonderful collection that brings both of their backgrounds.

About:

ELIRD is a jewellery art studio founded on shared practice, material intimacy, and a long-term approach to making. We work as a duo, shaping each piece slowly and entirely by hand in our studio in Sarajevo’s Old Town.

From the first sketch to the final polish, every stage remains within our hands. Jewellery, for us, is not an accessory but a form of intimate sculpture - objects made to be worn, lived with, and carried through time.

 

Our backgrounds differ but converge in the work. One rooted in sculpture and painting, the other in industrial and product design. What unites them is a shared attention to form, structure, and meaning. This dialogue between disciplines allows us to approach jewellery as both material research and personal expression.

 

We do not separate design from making.

Over thirty techniques are practiced and refined in-house, giving us full freedom over form, texture, and surface. Materials are chosen for their depth and character, and every surface is shaped with patience and intention.

 

ELIRD is shaped by the belief that jewellery holds more than aesthetic value. Each piece carries presence, memory, and emotion. It becomes personal through wear, time, and the relationship formed with its owner.

Our work is not meant to be replicated or rushed, but to endure.

Although we create jewellery, we are not driven by adornment. Our focus lies in the act of making, in learning, and in passing knowledge forward. The studio is also a place of teaching, where apprentices are welcomed into the process and encouraged to develop their own paths.

ELIRD is not defined by trends or seasons. It is defined by continuity, by attention, and by a commitment to slow, meaningful work. What we make is shaped as much by hands as by time.

You can follow Elird on Instagram @elirdjewellery or their website

https://www.elird.com/

Please visit @athousandfacets on Instagram to see some of the work discussed in this episode.

Music by @chris_keys__

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A thousand facets sits with NYCJW founder Bella Neyman, they talk about how NYCJW started, the importance of supporting independent artists and how ATF was invited to curate the "Discover" section on the NYCJW website.

About:
Bella Neyman is the founder of NYC Jewelry Week, an annual festival celebrating jewelry, held every November since 2018. She is also an independent curator and journalist specializing in contemporary jewelry. Recently, she served on the Curatorial Advisory Committee for Power to Wear at the DIVA Museum in Antwerp, on view from April-November 2026. Since earning her Master’s Degree in Decorative Arts and Design History from the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum & Parsons, The New School for Design in 2008, Bella has worked for some of New York City’s leading design galleries. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, American Craft, and The Magazine Antiques, and she is a frequent contributor to Metalsmith magazine. Bella lectures on jewelry history both online and in person at various institutions. She is a longtime member of the Board of Art Jewelry Forum. Bella resides in Brooklyn with her family.

To be a part of DISCOVER- https://nycjewelryweek.com/discover-feature/

You can follow Bella on Instagram @bellaneyman and NYCJW @nycjewelryweek or her website

https://nycjewelryweek.com/

Please visit @athousandfacets on Instagram to see some of the work discussed in this episode.

Music by @chris_keys__

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