Lisa Krikawa, Designer and CEO

Lisa Krikawa knew before entering college that she would be an artist. While earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Arizona, she was inspired by the likes of American metal sculptor Albert Paley and Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dali. Working her way through college, Lisa studied alternative metalsmithing techniques such as the centuries old art of Mokume Gane. Though she left college studied in advanced techniques, Lisa felt under-educated in the fundamentals of jewelry making and so set out to learn by doing. A year out of school, Lisa started her own business as a bench jeweler. As her experience and skill as a jeweler grew, so did her passion for creating works of art. Over more than a decade of creating custom jewelry, Lisa has grown into an award winning artist and was named by National Jeweler Magazine as one of “America’s Best Jewelers” in 2009.

One of the things Lisa is most proud of is Team Krikawa, the group of people that have come together over the past six years to make KJD what it is today. In a true collaboration of designers and metal smiths, the team has created a singularly unique experience, bringing to life the vision of a special piece that customers hold in their minds eye. Over many years at major conferences, Lisa was told repeatedly by colleagues that a website selling custom jewelry would never work. She and her team have proven the naysayers wrong. Coming soon to Krikawa.com is a completely redesigned site over two years in the making that will take customization to a completely new level. Most impressive is the “My Vault” feature, which as the site describes, allows you to “Get your own personal Jewelry Box to store, rate and share your favorite Krikawa products.” With the use of “My Vault”, customers will be able to choose their favorite designs, and enter into discussions with the Krikawa team in order to create a custom piece. In addition, the new site will feature an instant price calculator, as well as a comprehensive learning center which will educate customers about everything from precious metals to jewelry care.

Lisa's favorite metal to work with? “Platinum, but that’s boring”. Instead she describes the Reine Glace Locket, a stunning piece which features a Mokume inlay comprised of 24k, 14k rose and 14k white gold.

The designers favorite gemstone? The mysterious Chameleon diamond; it’s definitely on her wish list.

View Krikawa Jewelry Designs