Where it All Started

 

(soy’-ka) – the written pronunciation of Sojka… my last name.

 

It all began 8 years ago in an old congested junk store in the middle of rural Pennsylvania.  I saw my first keyhole cover, generally found on old furniture from the late 1800s and early 1900’s, but this one was simply lying on top of a table.  It was a rectangle shape, about 1 inch tall, and made of beautiful white porcelain.  Close by, I saw a large old traditional looking skeleton key. 

 

I thought to myself, Wow! Putting those elements together would make a cool necklace.  Feeling inspired, we went back to Los Angeles together.  At home I took apart some old jewelry, along with a thin black leather rope, put all the pieces together and knew I had created something magical!

 

Also at this time, I had my own photography company and was working with a ton of bands as well as expanding into the world of fashion.  I began wearing the necklace during my photo shoots and it started to really catch the attention of my clients.

 

This fascination didn’t stop with my day job, it seemed.  The compliments started to spill out into my social world and turned into a real conversation starter.  Through this simple necklace I managed to meet countless numbers of fascinating people!  They especially resonated with the                     behind the key and keyhole.

 

After having these experiences over and over again I thought to myself, Man, I should start making more of these!  People love them! 

 

And so began (soy’-ka) designs.

 

Since then, the jewelry line has been in various stores and art shows throughout California.  My designs also adorn models in many fashion shoots.  The designs continue to grow and expand along with my company.

 

I enjoy every part of the process of creating these - from the adventure and quest for components - to creating and piecing together beautiful textures and colors of various tarnishing metals that will go together.  I adore the genuine reaction people have when seeing these for the first time!  I am humbled at how attractive they are on a client’s neckline.  I find the entire process incredibly rewarding.

 

Thank you for visiting and I hope you feel the energy I’ve created in these pieces.