The design process is deeply personal to me. It's like nurturing a seed of inspiration, watching it grow in my mind's eye over weeks or months until it's ready to be born on paper sketches. During this time, I will create a design board of inspiration, drawings, and quotes, which lays the foundation for my thoughts. Over the next few weeks, I will play with the design in my mind's eye, often turning it in the air and adjusting it. When right, I sketch the design and mock it on the computer. Both mediums allow me to play with the gem sizes, colors, and other details more in-depth and give an idea of how it would look once it is sent to production for the final product.

During the design process, I am very fortunate to have a circle of diverse women, professional and personal, to whom I can show my work before we start production. 

Designing in a space that radiates creative energy allows me to bounce ideas and talk through the process, which gives me fresh perspectives to keep my designs progressing in an environment that is forever evolving. Designing is not a process that should be a singular person's job. The ideas and input of others help me see my vision through the eyes of the people I hold dearest to me, alleviating any creative blocks of bias that I may not see. Having my three daughters in my group helps design pieces that will resonate with women in all phases of life and enable them to mature and grow with their AK pieces as we create timeless jewelry that, at its core, is timeless. 

When designing this new collection, I let my intuition take the lead. One morning, I woke up with this image of large spiked heart-shaped hoops in my head. I loved the juxtaposition of opposites - the heart of love and spikes of 'Attitude,' incorporating our signature spikes into the new 'Heartitude' collection. 'Heartitude' is a playful take on the traditional heart while still having the 'Attitude' of the spikes. Our first capsule in this collection is simple and timeless in 18k yellow gold and is easy to layer with other AK pieces. 

A prototype of the hoops was created and immediately sold to a private collector, and we had three more order inquiries! After such positive feedback from t1he AK tribe, I started designing the rest of the 'Heartitude' collection. What began as a dream is now evolving into a complete collection of pieces that will include rings, charms, pendants, necklaces, and bracelets. I see diamonds and colored gems in the future. 

A deeper reflection of this collection made me think of my three daughters. Our relationship is, at times, prickly, but at its core, there is love. The hoops' effortless elegance resonates with the carefree styles that all three of my girls possess. These 'Heartitude' hoops and collections can be worn alone or layered with your favorite AK pieces as part of your everyday style, and they can even be pieces that can be elevated for a night out. 

As a designer, I believe in creating pieces that you can wear sustainably. Each piece in your collection should be something you will love to wear daily. Rather than purchasing pieces to wear to one event and having them sit in your jewelry box, you can enjoy your jewelry and showcase your style daily.