Moose Spotlight: Art Inspired By the Sea
Sometimes, the influence of important people around us can greatly affect where we journey through life.
This is Kathleen Bourne from Victoria, BC, Canada. She has been creating jewelry for six years now. You might have stumbled upon her works already under the name @kbojewelry on Instagram.
For most of her life, Kathleen has always loved art and has tried various media. Her love for jewelry started from her early years as she recalls her grandma Isabelle who was always stylishly rocking her large collection of jewelry. She holds onto her fond memories of going over to her grandma’s house and looking at her jewelry collection which was arranged neatly and carefully.
Another person who inspired her was her babysitter, Jessica Hepper who is also a jeweler. At an early age, she was entranced by the work of her babysitter; to this date, she can still remember the most magical beaded jewelry she has ever seen. Many years later, she met someone who has a beautiful silver ring and Kathleen was introduced to her teacher, and then she started silversmithing.
To Kathleen, silversmithing is the form of jewelry-making that feels like her. She loves constructing beautiful pieces from scratch. In her own words, “I loved that I had to get a bit dirty, the way the solder flowed, the patience involved, and how each piece miraculously became something shiny and worthy to wear. I also find it so rewarding when people fall in love with pieces I have spent time creating.”
Of course, we know jewelry-making is not a piece of cake. We asked what was the most challenging part of it and Kathleen said it was balancing coming up new ideas and creating what she loves versus what other people love. There are times she finds her classic pieces getting a little repetitive, but she always finds that creating new and customized designs make her heart happy.
As an artist, her favorites are always changing, but one piece she can’t forget is a necklace called “Night Sky.” She described them as “They are little landscape silhouettes that I create in silver. They are always one of a kind and capture a scene or element in nature that I love. I have made custom "Night Sky" necklaces of places people hold dear to their heat, which always feels very special.”
Speaking of nature, we asked how it inspires her work. For Kathleen, the ocean is by far her biggest inspiration in nature. She beautifully described it as “The colours, the sound, everything that lives within it and because of it. The ocean, to me, is a pulse. It feeds my inspiration and motivates me as well. I also appreciate that the ocean and what life is within and around it can change around the world too.” She has gained inspiration throughout her travels and the ocean has always remained a constant inspiration wherever she goes.
Here are a few samples of her impressive work. Have you been looking for dainty and unique turquoise pieces?
by Kathleen Bourne of K-Bo Jewelry
Being lovers of turquoise, we could not help but ask her what she loves the most about it. It made us smile when she said it is her favorite gemstone! Kathleen loves how bright yet calming it is, and that it has the capability to lift one’s spirits and soothe one’s soul at the same time. As she mentioned the ocean is a big inspiration to her work, she said turquoise is the perfect gemstone to represent it - with its many hues that are reminiscent of the depth and mystery the ocean contains.
Finally, a tip for her fellow creators, “I would say, be true to you and create what you love.” Short, but incredibly meaningful!
Follow her on Instagram: @kbojewelry
Check out her work here: https://www.kbojewelry.com/
“Turquoise Moose has beautiful and great quality gems! They are great to work with, always kind and helpful! I like that the lapidary work is done by this company and that they live close to me in B.C. They have such a variety of turquoise (type, shape, size). I was so happy to find tiny little crescent moons from them, as I love working with mini gemstones and I love the moon.”
- Kathleen Bourne
