A Rarity: Behind the Scenes with Hellbent and Eva Kolenko

Each month my boutique, Crown Nine, is releasing a special design crafted exclusively for us (and you!) by our favorite designers, both establish and up-and-coming.  This month we've got Hellbent by Beth Naumann, whose jump from architecture to jewelry design was totally seamless.  Her Deco inspired pieces walk our favorite line between the feminine and the bold; she strikes that strut perfectly.  You can see the exclusive Rhea Moon Necklace here, perfect for your Great Gatsby date night.

Photographer Eva Kolenko (Um, dudette, are you following her on Instagram yet?  Or reading her photo/recipe/mom/adventure blog yet?  Get. On. It.) brought me along for a visit to Beth's studio in north Oakland, taking a pit-stop at Subrosa coffee on the way.  Baby Parker June was in tow, my lucky job was to hold her and coo her while mom worked, but as you'll see, Eva is earning her strips as a multi-tasking mom, holding baby in one arm, camera in the other.  

I love seeing inside other jewelry designers' studios, I always find it so inspiring.  Each artist has his/her favorite methods, media, materials, and practices, necessitating different work spaces...  seeing that up close is fascinating to me.  I usually spend most of my time asking about tools, how they engineer this or that... and then there is the general 'vibe' of the place.  Hellbent's studio is quietly energized and swimming in light.  Even though it was not much bigger than a shoe box, I could imagine spending days on end in her space.

I also must say that I was pretty stoked on both Eva and Beth's shoes... does it get any better than plaid Doc's and orange clogs?

You can become an Insider and get sneak peeks of our Rarity releases each month before the rest of the world knows, just sign up here.

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