Moose Spotlight: Blending Modern and Traditional Handmade Jewelry

Meet jewelry artist Kayla Varnell, the creative mind behind the Instagram handle @white.magnolia.studio. This Odgen, UT-based artist has been making jewelry for five years now.

Jewelry Artist Kayla Varnell of @white.magnolia.studio on Instagram

@white.magnolia.studio on Instagram

Kayla sources her turquoise from lapidary artists on Instagram and she also gets them locally from Odgen.

Having a really beautiful collection of handmade turquoise jewelry, we wanted to know what her preferences are. She shares she really likes very earthy colors such as yellows, browns, sage green, and deep turquoise. The shape also plays an important factor in her designs. She states that she tends to gravitate towards asymmetrical cuts or something more unique. Lastly, the price point is also essential. For Kayla, she tries to stay between $20 - $50.

Using turquoise in her designs, we wanted to know what are the cons when it comes to working with them. Kayla shares that it is often very soft, so she gets meticulous when setting the cab. In addition, she spends a lot of time making sure the setting is perfect. Anyone else feels the same?

Kayla’s personal favorite turquoise mines are from New Lander, Yungai (specifically the red ones), Sand Hill, and Giraffe.

We also wanted to get a bezeling tip from one of our favorite artists! In case you need a tip, here’s what Kayla has to say! “I prefer using fine silver for my bezel. I think 26 gauge is the sweet spot for most of my work. I also cover my bezel rocker with a strip of leather so I don’t mar my metal while I set the stone.”

As mentioned from our previous blogs, we have been really doing our best in incorporating environmentally-friendly decisions with our everyday living. Wanting to learn more from our artists, we asked Kayla if she has any efforts in the said subject. She shares she saves all the packaging materials from other vendors and she reuses it so hardly any packaging goes in the trash. According to her, Rio loves to send individual things in bags and she saves all those bags and uses them in her studio.

Lastly, we asked what her favorite or signature design technique is if she had any. Kayla shares she has really taken a deep dive into stamping details these last few months. She has purchased many beautiful stamps from Hector of @silverliningsmetalstamps. She personally likes a mix of modern and Southwestern styles.

Take a look at some of her stunning designs!

Turquoise Jewelry by Kayla Varnell of @white.magnolia.studio on Instagram