"I had been in New Mexico for six months, staying with my mom, who is a sculptor, and hanging around her studio," explains Renata Mann when I ask about her new collection for spring. "The landscape there was very beautiful and inspiring—not to sound cheesy, but there's this spirituality to the whole state, and I think you get that same feeling of empowerment from a lot of my new pieces."

This collection also marks the first time that Mann has branched away from the knitting machine, and incorporated materials like leather and clear plastic vinyl into her work. "I do a lot of scrapbooking in preparation for designing and I'm always trying to put things together in a new way," she says. "I want my jewelry to feel fresh and modern, yet familiar and comforting as well. I love the challenge of reinventing familiar materials into a totally new creation and context."

"I tried to somehow instill what I learned in New Mexico, and on my road trip across the country in my butter yellow 1981 Mercedes 190E, into the collection," she continues. "These pieces, more than any of my other ones, were created to bring out the natural strength of the wearer and inspire self-love and confidence. I want it to hit people in a new way that makes them stop and feel...and hopefully that tickle of curiosity will inspire them to notice more and more things that make them happy!"

A lovely sentiment behind even lovelier work!

Renata Mann is available online at www.renatamann.etsy.com.

- Caroline Stanley

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