Meet Christina Katz

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Christina Katz a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Christina, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.

Imposter syndrome is something I have to battle almost every day. It’s not really something I think I can ever fully overcome, so I take it day by day. Something that helps me immensely is actually to look up ancient and antique jewelry examples. These are pieces that the world of Jewelers sees as “amazing”, “stunning”, or “masterful” works of art. As a Jeweler, when I examine these works I can see the beauty, but also every scratch, bent prong, slightly off setting, or uneven filigree. And I think about how the people who made these are considered “masters”, and yet here are their flaws. So if these people can make mistakes in handmade works of art and it can be considered remarkable, why can’t I? What stops me from making and loving my jewelry regardless of any foibles or flaws in them? The answer is nothing. Because I am a Jeweler.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

Luna Flora Designs is my jewelry brand where I create intricate pieces of silver and gold jewelry inspired by nature and Art Nouveau motifs. Micro-florals are a specific design element I tend to focus on in a lot of my work, I take great joy in creating realistic florals in gold and silver as small as I can possibly make them whilst still retaining their detail. Each piece I make is meticulously handcrafted in a process called “hand fabrication” which is when starting from an ingot, I roll, hammer, melt, and form the solid metal into each and every flower and leaf you see in my work. This work is my passion through and through, and I’m hoping to grow this business through the years to eventually open my own physical store here in Oregon.

Creating nature-inspired work is very dear to my heart, as there is in my opinion no greater creation than Nature. Everything about it entrances me, so much so that I feel the drive to imitate it in my creations. Not only do I want to imitate it, I want to romanticize it. So much of my collections draw from fantasy literature and ancient folklore in order to bring together the reality of nature and the mystery and romance of fairytales. Because to me they are one and the same, folktales are one with and stem from the natural world and our human relationships with it.

Through my designs, I hope to create jewelry that will allow the wearer to envision themselves as the main character in their own fairytale. Whether on a grocery run, or their wedding day; I want them to feel as if even though the stories we read about daring royalty, or brave Hobbits, are just stories on pages. They can accessorize in a way that expresses their inner whimsical romantic selves in the real world.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

In being a Jeweler I believe that three qualities or skills are most important in this journey are 1: determining your niche. I didn’t really get into the groove of things until I had whittled down where I wanted to go with my designs. When you’re first starting I recommend learning everything you possibly can, but once you’ve dipped your toes in you can start to sus out what you want your aesthetic to be and then you can start asking more pointed questions and learning more specific skills to achieve that goal.
2: Learning to be okay with not being liked. If you take every dislike of your work as a critique of you as a person it will wear you down into a pit of depression. And that goes for any art form. It’s okay for people to have preferences, not everyone will like your work and that is in no way a reflection on you! They aren’t your target audience anyways. You want your work to connect with the right people who will cherish it and if you chase the concept of being liked by everyone you will loose yourself and your reason for creating. Someone who likes Van Cleef or Cartier will probably not like my work. And that’s totally okay.
3: for the love of all that is or will be do NOT undersell yourself. What do I mean? I mean don’t be afraid to price your work for all the time, skill, and effort it takes to make a piece. You will do far more harm to yourself and the reputation of your brand if you constantly try to keep your prices cheap just to satisfy cheap people. The people who love and appreciate your work for its true worth and quality will always be willing to pay you fairly for it.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

Yes! Oh my goodness yes. My absolute dream would be to collaborate with a studio producing fantasy film or series. Think Amazon and Rings of Power. As a lifelong Tolkien fan my dream is to one day see my work featured on an Elvish character or High Fae in some fairy realms. Seeing my work embodied in the very fantasy worlds I’ve dreamt of since childhood would absolutely be the highlight of my career I think.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Lunafloradesigns.com
• Instagram: @lunafloradesigns
• Facebook: @lunafloradesigns
• Other: Tiktok: @lunafloradesigns

Image Credits

All photography done by me, Christina Katz of Luna Flora Designs.
Jewelry modeled by Tina Kohler