Local jewelers Morgan Amirani and Beth Kukuk are showcasing stunning designs at Laguna’s summer festivals.
By Stefanee Freedman
Crafting jewelry as a form of art has a long history, incorporating many different elements from the Earth as well as manmade materials in the design. Some believe that wearing metals or gemstones can enhance certain energies or bring them closer to nature. Others use these adornments to express their individual style, whether it’s elegant earrings, a necklace to match a particular outfit or a unique ring that has been passed down through generations.
This summer, festival crowds can find pieces to gift loved ones or to adorn themselves with as jewelry artists Morgan Amirani and Beth Kukuk showcase their work locally.
Timeless Treasures
Jewelry designer Morgan Amirani has always had an eye for design and loves working with her hands. An interior designer by trade, she started working for a commercial design firm right after earning her bachelor’s degree.
“At some point, I saw a necklace and I just thought, … ‘I can make something similar to this,’ ” Amirani says. “I took a two-hour beading class in Dana Point and just exploded [with creativity]. I couldn’t stop making jewelry. I’d stay up till 3 a.m. and lost 5 pounds making necklaces.”
She never planned to sell any of her creations, but quickly fell in love with making jewelry and soon realized that she had a lot of necklaces in her collection. She had to do something with them, but what?
“I decided to put on a couple of home shows, and I was so successful,” Amirani reveals. “I wanted to do more, … so I took three years of bench jewelry classes at Saddleback [College], … [where] I learned how to fabricate, … use a torch and cast metal.”
“I didn’t want [to create] mass production things that you get rid of in a year or two,” Amirani says. “So that’s where I found my niche—where I feel like I make things that are [a] keepsake, … things that you pass on but you also feel comfortable taking on a trip.”
Amirani works mainly with Argentium silver, which not many people are familiar with. Argentium silver is known for having a higher silver content than sterling silver and is a brighter, better material without any copper or nickel, so it doesn’t have elements that irritate sensitive skin.
“It’s all reused silver, not mined. It came on the market in the ’90s in England. It’s interesting to me and a cleaner material,” Amirani explains. “I incorporate 18-karat [gold] accents. It reminds me of what I grew up with in Iran. I use precious stones, not the ones that are [certified by the] Gemological Institute of America, because I want it to be affordable.”
Although she now shows at Laguna Art-A-Fair, Amirani got her start in Laguna Beach with a booth at Winter Fantasy, the Sawdust Art Festival’s holiday show. After witnessing the town’s appreciation for art, Amirani became invested in doing more in the local community.
“I still do other shows [around Southern California], but [after] realizing that … there is a community of art lovers in this city, [showing here] is important to me,” Amirani says. Her jewelry will be on display at Laguna Art-A-Fair through Sept. 1.
Morgan Amirani Jewelry Designs
morganamirani.com
Laguna Art-A-Fair: Booth A6
Golden Gifts
Growing up in northeast Ohio and pursuing a degree in interior design from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale is likely not how the average Sawdust festival artist for his or her start. In fact, Laguna Beach jewelry designer Beth Kukuk turned her hobby into successful full-time work while raising three children, selling pieces around their schedules.
“I had … three babies and was a stay-at-home-mom looking for a creative outlet, so I started making jewelry again in the early 2000s,” Kukuk says. “I gradually took that little hobby into a full-time endeavor, taking classes at Saddleback College and Irvine Fine Arts Center [and] experimenting with different materials and techniques.”
While artists who have influenced Kukuk include Alexander Calder, Gustav Klimt and Joan Miró, she says she finds inspiration in so many places—a local hike, a walk on the beach, listening to music or even during a quiet moment when she stops and lets her mind wander.
“I have several designs inspired by nature with all kinds of flower and leaf shapes [plus the moon and stars]. I love to make simple, lightweight, comfortable pieces that can be worn everyday,” Kukuk explains. “A longtime favorite collection was inspired by my three sons, beginning with a necklace featuring three hearts in three different metals. Because of its popularity, I started making several varieties of heart necklaces to symbolize families, children, sisters, etc.”
For her business, Beth Jewelry, Kukuk works with sterling silver as well as gold-filled and rose gold-filled metals, accenting her designs with occasional semiprecious stones or freshwater pearls.
Sketching and experimentation are all part of the process. But first, she takes time to contemplate. “The design and creation process starts with quiet time to let my mind explore ideas and inspiration,” she explains. After drawing out her design, Kukuk uses hand tools to form wire into shapes, hammers them on a steel block, then assembles them into finished jewelry.
She is excited to be showcasing a new collection called Creative Colors, featuring hand-tinted resin, at this summer’s Sawdust Art Festival. Kukuk and her family moved to Laguna Beach to be a part of the show after living in Mission Viejo for 17 years. “I had a chance to participate in the Sawdust Art Festival as a guest artist in the summer of 2021,” she recalls. “We had a blast doing the show. Our youngest son had just gone off to college, so it seemed the perfect time for a move to the beach.”
Catch her new collection in Laguna Canyon at the summer Sawdust show through Sept. 1.
Beth Jewelry
949-212-5060; beth-jewelry.com
Sawdust Art Festival: Booth 705
