Jill Herlands defines herself as a “jewelry artist,” rather than a designer. “I believe a designer creates up until production. I am an artist. I conceptualize, produce- everything else that goes along with it.” By staying true to her own, unique artistic vision, teaching herself how to create jewelry, and continuously expanding the bounds of her expertise, Jill has built up an entirely distinctive brand that has become widely celebrated and exhibited nationally.
Jill had always loved to take apart jewelry and reassemble it in strange ways, but only started creating jewelry in 2014. For most of her adult life, Jill was in the music industry, but stopped her career to raise her daughter. When her daughter went off to college, Jill decided “it’s time for something for me to do that’s exciting - it’s time for me to do something for myself.” She began by buying a small torch and teaching herself how to solder. Jill’s decision to become a jewelry artist was almost instantaneous, “the minute the flame hit the metal, I thought “this is it.”” She set up a little desk in a corner of the kitchen and “just started creating.” She did not intend to start a business originally, and simply created for her own joy. Once she had amassed a large body of work and began to post on Instagram, she quickly sparked interest in the jewelry world due to her designs that were unlike anything else. She was often told she would not succeed, since her work was too atypical, but continued nonetheless. Building up a following through her unique creations and by responding to every comment and cultivating relationships, Jill realized the interest surrounding her jewelry was real, and created her business in response. And, she continues to respond to every comment on Instagram, and “has made real friendships” through social media.
Jill’s jewelry style is “edgy, avant-garde, and a mixture of feminine and masculine,” and she specifically likes it to have “a worn-in look.” As an example, she stated “I will use pearls, but I will mix it with a distressed metal.” Although self-taught, Jill professed that “I can’t imagine not doing this - it’s like second nature to me.” Jill draws inspiration from a variety of sources, including the “rock and roll vibe” from the talent agency where she used to work, her imagination, ruins, construction sites, and raw materials. She has never looked at a YouTube video, and describes her continuous learning process as her dedication to “risk taking.” Beginning only with the knowledge of how to make a ring band and how to solder, she experiments extensively with every material she works with in order to test how it melts, how to achieve certain effects, new ways for the metal to hold gemstones, and what specific heats are best for each material.
Jill is always looking for new materials to incorporate, and is particularly known for using concrete in her designs as well as using enamel with her own, original method. She learns from trial and error, but does not strive for perfection, which she views as “a little bit boring.” She often does not plan her creation concretely before she begins, and if she makes a mistake, will try to incorporate it into her final piece. Staying true to her style, she will “create something and then melt it, or make holes in it, or make the edges sort of burnt,” morphing her work as she goes along. Even as the demand for her pieces grow, she still experiments in order to expand her options and grow as an artist. When Manhattan Sideways sat down with her in the summer of 2019, Jill told us that she was currently teaching herself how to crochet with gold.
Everything is made by her hand, everything is one of a kind, and she believes that her jewelry is “an extension of the wearer.” She ascertains that “each piece that I make is guaranteed to be an heirloom that you can hand down to your children and grandchildren.” Jill has ample opportunity to craft jewelry to individually express the wearer, since almost all of her business is custom work. Whether clients ask for a piece in the style of one they were particularly drawn to on her Instagram, want her to melt down and completely recreate a piece of their old jewelry, or have any other inspiration, Jill will take as much time as needed to connect with the client and learn about them so that she may personalize the piece. Jill is especially pleased that a large percentage of her clients give her creative control, trusting her vision completely.
In the future, Jill hopes to stay a niche brand with each piece being one of a kind, but to also be known globally. Although her entire workplace consists of a small room in her apartment in Hell's Kitchen, and the only help she receives is administrative, Jill describes her studio as her “little place of heaven.”
