When I was 19 years old in the early 90s, I studied for a year at Engelsholm Art School - located in a Renaissance castle with towers (I lived in one of them), moats and crest-holding stone lions. Here I received lessons in drawing and designing/sewing clothes, as everyone was asked to swap their usual lines with another for a week. I ended up in the jewellery workshop and that was that. Or so I thought. I spent every night of the rest of my time at the college in the jewellery workshop, and even though the sky opened up, pillars of light shot down to the ground and a choir of angels echoed through the heavens because I was SO sure I had found my calling... I didn't become a jeweller. I tried to find an apprenticeship, but when that failed, I started studying at university instead.
Academic studies in shifts with fire and metal
So I actually have a master's degree in communication and art history! When I wasn't poring over the books, I sat in a small improvised workshop in the basement of my building to improve my goldsmithing skills. And when I finished my academic studies, I immediately started a new study at the Institute of Precious Metals to resume my dream of jewellery craftsmanship. I was (and am) very inspired by art nouveau - especially Lalique and Arje Griegst and created a lot of sculptural jewellery made from carved ebony or mother of pearl. My ambitions were high - my skills not so high (yet).
But... despite dreaming of becoming a jeweller, I still ended up with an office job - because I still couldn't find an apprenticeship and didn't have the courage to go my own way, yet. So for the next few years I created content for websites, wrote newsletters and organised company events until the last recession got me fired - like so many others. And like so many others, this gave me pause to think: What do I really want? What makes me happy? What is MY special ability that I can enrich the world with? Working with jewellery was again the obvious answer, which I knew, but hadn't dared to act on seriously - until now.
Universe to Karin: Are you sure?
Now I took a deep breath and decided to start my own jewellery company with the support of my family and my wonderful boyfriend. And just then - when the decision was FINALLY made (almost 20 years after having the tools in my hands for the first time) - I was offered a dream job: in a prestigious company, within cycling distance from home, with a good and stable salary and lots of employee perks. It was as if the universe was testing my decision: “Are you SURE you want this?” I had to think hard, but not for long. After a restless night, I declined the offer and started looking for a workshop and a part-time job to cover my expenses, feeling extremely brave (while fearing I had made the mistake of my life).
I was lucky enough to find both: a small basement space in a workshop community not far from Kongens Have and a well-paid part-time job in communications. My courage was rewarded and confirmed when I was immediately given the opportunity to buy an entire jewellery workshop from a recently deceased colleague for a fraction of its value. For a year I ”played shop” before stumbling upon the beautiful, high-ceilinged space that is now my jewellery shop. I painted it green, created display cabinets from gilded picture frames I found at flea markets, and exactly 10 years ago, I officially opened the doors to what was then “Gallery Castens” because I had other aspiring jewellery artists in the stable.
”A bumpy ride ahead
I'm happy to report that it was a huge success from the start. However, I had no local network, no customers other than friends and family (thank you all for supporting me by buying my jewellery and helping me in so many other ways! But slowly and surely, I worked to make a name for myself as someone who creates fabulous jewellery. In a country where streamlined minimalism is coveted, and especially at a time when small, simple and modest was the design ideal (a natural consequence of the recession), my jewellery stood out - and wasn't very easy to sell to the ”masses”. And it was a good thing too, because I was in no way equipped to produce even a small amount of jewellery back then!
But I learnt a lot and after 5 years I decided to switch gears and become just a little more business savvy. I rebuilt my workshop shop into the light and airy look with my signature curls that you see today, thanked my commissioners for taking the first leg of my journey with me, waved goodbye to them and changed Gallery Castens to just CASTENS - complete with new website castens.com and everything. I had come a long way! And most importantly, despite never officially learning the craft and being looked down upon by at least some of my colleagues for it, I am now a master goldsmith myself and authorised to train my own apprentice to become a goldsmith.
To cope with the increasing demand (and perhaps also to prove to myself that I was good enough), I started hiring employees: a jeweller, an apprentice, an administrator, temporary workers and interns. At the same time, I started working with moulding, which allows me to create copies of a certain design. These can then be altered and customised for each customer, so it's still a custom piece of jewellery.
Of course, I still build unique jewellery from scratch, but being able to show a design that already exists and can be modified has proven to be very popular because it still takes a bit of courage and imagination to create something from scratch/drawing without seeing a version of the jewellery first.
When too much good became too much bad
However, it all grew a little too big and a little too fast, and eventually I found myself in a situation where I was exclusively talking to customers and prototyping new designs while spending the majority of my time in front of a computer and managing my employees. People are hired to manage others for a reason - it takes time and skills, and I had to realise that I had neither. I just wanted to create beautiful jewellery! By the summer I was so exhausted that I seriously considered giving up and returning to a regular salaried job without the same responsibilities, but after a few weeks of seriously debating with myself it became clear: I AM in the right place and I AM already DOING the right thing - I just needed to change things up.
So I decided to be brave again and roll back to the bare minimum: myself and my part-time jeweller Alessandro, who helps me create the jewellery. This has given me much-needed peace of mind, which I have really loved. I will probably hire a part-time administrator again at some point, but for now I'm enjoying being alone in my little queen kingdom where I can listen to music while I work in flow as I create my fairytale jewellery for customers who love the romantic and slightly different as much as I do.
The future will definitely be interesting! In May, I'm taking part in my very first curated jewellery exhibition organised by Nina Hald at the museum Fjord og Bælt. So these days I find myself returning to the happy times when I sat and carved small reliefs and sculptures in the heating cellar so many years ago. The difference is that my skills have improved significantly in the meantime, which means I can now create jewellery for my customers that I only dreamed of bringing to life back then.
My story is definitely one of ”Back and forth”, but I can see that I kept coming back to my true calling until I was finally brave enough to follow my heart and become the jeweller I am today. I can confidently say that it is my passion to create beautiful and adventure-inspired jewellery that is comfortable to wear and makes you happy every time you see it. I'm so glad I didn't give up on the long and undeniably winding road to where I am now - able to do just that!
Here we go: Never give up on your dream! It might take a long time and take a different shape than you thought, but if you stick to your dream, you will find it eventually.
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