THE DESIGNER
Hi! I'm Kristi, a San Francisco native and mixed Eurasian artist. After taking a pause from a career in Fashion Marketing/Buying and retail management to start a family back in 2009, being able to get back to The Diamondwillow has been a dream come true. It wasn’t completely tabled then though, as I continued to create pieces for my dearest friends and family, but I was only just able to truly devote the time and effort needed to name it again in the fall of 2019. Creating jewelry was an art form that started when I was in middle school and has persisted in my life, becoming the greatest outlet of self expression. Working as a full time ABA Therapist for a public school and mother of two, diving into my art was the ultimate way of being able to connect to myself again. I select, drill, and solder each crystal and string each bead, to create wearable art that is embedded my utmost passion and greatest intentions. Each crystal carries it own meaning, but also holds a bit of the feeling I give when turning each piece into what I believe they’re intended to be. My ultimate intention to is fill their wearer with that same light and love.
THE BRAND
The Diamondwillow was originally named in 2001 when I started creating pieces to showcase in a couple San Francisco boutiques and had to find a name that inspired me and that I reacted to.
A Diamondwillow is a pattern in wood made by the formation of cankers due to a fungal infection, creating one of the most unique and sought after woodworking patterns. The idea that beauty can come from detriment has always intrigued and inspired me.
Pictured here is the first stamp a created for my "brand" to print on the same muslin bags I use today.
