I studied at the ​Otis College of Art and Design in LA, and later, at The Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. Every culture has a different work ethic. Learning the way people solve problems and work with their hands is a very personal experience. Working with different cultures has definitely inspired me to create with empathy and an open mind.

I am from LA, so after I started selling my jewellery in various boutiques worldwide, I decided to come home and start my own business. I love the city for its sunshine, proximity to Griffith Park and the beach, for the organic delicious produce and, most of all, because my family lives here.

Just keep doing it, making mistakes – and making again, over and over. ​I don’t see them as different things. I see all material as something that can be part of jewellery, and jewellery is certainly a form of wearable art. I started using ceramics because I wanted to be able to create large-scale pieces without the added weight of metal.

It was organic. In fact, what I really wanted to do was work in fashion and design clothing. I moved to Antwerp because of my obsession at the time with the Antwerp Six (the group of fashion designers who graduated from Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts between 1980-81) and hoped to be an intern with one of them. But then, I happened to stumble across a beautiful jewellery atelier and ended up working with Pascale Masselis for two years.

Either it’s the woman herself that I am making the pieces for, or I am thinking about a certain woman I am reading about when I create the collections.

I have always had a space where it was combined jewellery shop and studio. It was just a lot smaller. I needed a larger studio to be able to combine the jewellery workshop and the ceramic workshop together. I think it is very important for people who buy my jewellery to know how it’s made and where it comes from. Having a brick-and-mortar shop allows my customer to experience the jewellery and the world that I have created for it. It inspires them to be more creative, and I think that connection to people is very important with my jewellery.

It’s all natural. The workspace creates itself when you put your materials in it. It’s all full of elements that I have made, so naturally, everything sort of has a ‘Sonia’ signature to it.

I pretty much make everything in house. I am a designer as well as the craftswoman. 

Simplified, organised and more cohesive.

I suppose the best way to unite all those ideas is through the cultural techniques and skills I have honed throughout the years and to use it to create a piece that captures all those elements of art, sculpture and travel.

Calder, Miró, Sonia Delaunay, Robert Rauschenberg, Cocteau – all these artists have influenced my work.

I like to find a balance between weight and different materials to make them work together in one composition. I always feel mixed texture is more soothing to the eye.

Craftsmanship is everything in my jewellery. Having an idea is easy, but how to execute the ideas and bring them to life require a great amount of technical thought and craftsmanship​.

We use all kinds of materials. The ceramic tiles are all made in-house and glazed with gold to give them the jewellery feel. I hand-cut all of our oversized CZ gems (cubic zirconia) and we use all metals from gold to bronze and silver. I can’t say I have a favourite material; all materials can be interesting and inspiring to work with.

Every day is different, but it’s a mix up of spending mornings replying to emails and preparing what has to be made for the day, clients come in and out of the shop. I usually try to spend a few hours a day making the pieces, particularly the first samples.

Yes, I have designed jewellery for famous people; however, ​​celebrity exposure has no impact on sales for me at all. People are drawn to my work when they see it on someone else and love it. That’s how I get sales.

Colin and Scarlett are dear friends of mine and Colin wanted to surprise Scarlett for the Avengers premiere with a Thanos glove. It was a very fun idea and challenging to think in terms of Scarlett wearing it. I mostly focused on the lines of the glove and the colours of the gemstones. I wanted to make sure that she was comfortable and felt glamorous all the while trying to keep that Thanos inspiration strong. ​The entire piece was made in 18k gold. I chose those stones – aquamarine, pink and green tourmalines, amethyst, citrine and Mexican fire opal – mostly because those were the colours of the Gauntlet bracelet.