I can hardly believe that I’ve never made a post about this, but I often get the question: What metals are used in Zurina Ketola Designs jewely and how do I care for it?
Continue reading “What Kind of Gold is Used in ZKD Jewelry?”
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ZKD Updates: Exciting News!
ZKD at Studio Hertzberg
I’m happy to share the news that Zurina Ketola Designs handmade jewelry is now available at Studio Hertzberg in Berlin! Continue reading “ZKD Updates: Exciting News!”
Designer Life: Road Trip, European Style
There’s quite a few things I love about living in Berlin. The city itself is a rich tapestry of art, culture, and history, but even the most mundane activities have a special kind of charm for me. Everything is still so new and different. I love walking along the cobblestone roads lined and tree lined canals, and now that the dust has finally settled from the move and my studio is set up, it seemed like a great time to take advantage of the summer by taking a little vacation!
The Online Shop is Back!
The last few weeks have been a flurry of activity. I’ve been working on site updates, adding new products, and testing everything to make sure it works.
It’s been a long time coming but the online shop is back up and running!
Celebrating Earth Day: An Eco-Friendly Life + Small Business
Earth Day, Every Day
Happy Earth Day! I thought it would be the perfect time to talk a little bit about how I try to bring Earth Day into my every day life and small business. It’s been on my mind lately because my experiences in the area of recycling and sustainability between Germany and the US are so different!
These topics have always been important to me, I love that I’m finally able to live somewhere that has an eco-friendly consciousness built into daily life. I’m also really excited to talk a little bit about how it’s been built into my small jewelry business over the years.
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The Studio is Coming!
Nomad, No More
It’s been shy of eight months in Berlin and life has finally settled down. In about a month or so, I’ll have a jewelry studio again! It’s been a long and bumpy road, but it was totally worth it.
Before arriving, I had a few ideas about what path to follow to keep my creative flow active in my new home without a studio. On that list? Spending time being a tourist in our new home. Going on walks, exploring museums, and experiencing the culture of my new surroundings played a big role. As it turned out, life had other plans and we had to put a pin in this for a while.
Resolutions + Updates
Happy New Year!
I hope you all had a wonderful beginning to 2019!
I’ve gotten out of the habit of making the traditional New Year’s Resolution over the last few years, but my new home has inspired me to jump back in with both feet. This renewed interest has been brought on by one of the most amazing cultural differences I’ve noticed: people take their free time very seriously here in Germany. It’s a major contrast to what I’m used to in the States. Two weeks vacation is the standard back home, but here it’s six weeks!
As a small creative business owner who is involved from creation to sales and everything in between, it’s always been a challenge for me to take time off. There’s always a million things that need to be done, and my to-do list grows by the day.
My new surroundings are making me rethink the way I’ve done things in the past. It’s making me want to slow things down a bit and live in the moment.
Best Laid Plans Edition + ZKD Update
You Can’t Plan for Everything
It’s been just shy of six months in Berlin, and Christmas and New Years are just around the corner. My husband and I agreed on some general checklist items to work on after our arrival, and after checking “find a nice temporary apartment” off the list at the end of the summer, things were looking pretty good. I had begun the registration process for my business and we were getting settled into life in our new home.
We assumed challenges would arise eventually, but as my husband told me while we were looking for a hotel a few weeks ago, “Sweetheart, I’m sorry. But you can’t always plan for everything.”
Expat Life: Moving my Life and Jewelry Business to Germany
Life + Work in Progress
I’ve been in Germany since the middle of the summer, and have been slowly but surely familiarizing myself with the procedures for transferring my life and jewelry business. I’ll be honest, it’s pretty overwhelming!
Germany is well known for it’s thorough bureaucracy, but it was hard to put into perspective until we arrived. The business side of things felt quite a bit more daunting that it ever has in the United States, largely due to the language barrier. Even though I’ve moved my business within the States multiple times and even made the move towards incorporation in the last few years, nothing quite prepared me fully for the challenges of moving to a new country.
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Luisa Accessories Fall 2018 Pop-Up featuring ZKD Jewelry
Meant to Be: ZKD Handmade Jewelry Available in Chicago
Exciting news for my Chicago clients with a love for fashion, artisan jewelry, and weekend markets! Before I hopped the pond this summer, a few of you reached out and asked how to purchase ZKD jewelry since my shop would be down during the transition. As I was pondering my options, I was contacted by Luisa, one of my favorite pop-up organizers. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect!
As Luisa told me, “It was meant to be.”
Continue reading “Luisa Accessories Fall 2018 Pop-Up featuring ZKD Jewelry”