Meet Christina Magdolna Washington

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christina Magdolna Washington.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I have loved working with my hands my entire life. In fact, nothing makes me feel more fulfilled. I grew up in Los Angeles, where as a child I was always drawing, painting, creating costumes, or creating my own home movies. Jewelry design came into the picture over ten years ago with my best friend when we created a line called Âme Bijoux. We hung out in my room, having fun making pieces out of string and the beads we rounded up from our houses and started selling them to friends and family. At the time, it wasn’t anything serious, but we had so much fun.

My mother is Hungarian, and my father is a production designer in the film industry, so we were always traveling between Europe and America. During the school year, we were in Los Angeles, and during the summer months, we would all be in Hungary with my mother’s side of the family, often visiting other countries as well. We were so lucky to be able to travel, and I now realize that I was absorbing the sights, colors, textures, and cultures around me, and it all became part of me. Creativity and travel have become intrinsic parts of my life and my work.

At first, I decided to pursue a degree in cinema and began to study in California, but I found myself finishing my degree in Paris in French language studies. After moving to Paris, I was so inspired by the city and spent some incredible years there becoming fluent in the language, working in costume design in the film industry, and soaking up the culture, the incredible art that surrounded me, and the wonderful friendships I made. I saw the real potential of creating jewelry after becoming friends with a girl that worked in a beautiful jewelry boutique. Each time I went in there, I had all kinds of ideas of the pieces I would love to create if I could.

Many years had passed since Âme Bijoux, but I realized that the idea of exploring that path had never left my mind. After spending several years in Paris, I moved to Brussels. While taking a walk in my neighborhood of Ixelles, I stumbled across a store called Skin & Soul Jewelry. The designer was Martine, and her work was so fascinating to me that I had to go in and meet her. We started talking, and by the time I left, Martine had agreed to give me an apprenticeship. I began spending afternoons in her studio, learning how to make various types of pieces that I had challenged myself to create. With great attention to detail, she patiently showed me how to bring piece after piece to life. I realized that I had a knack for it and relished the process of using fire to transform metals and adorn the beautiful gemstones that I had started to acquire. As time went on, it began to dawn on me that making jewelry was something I wanted to do professionally.

Not long after that, I was put in contact with Roseark in Los Angeles, and things started to get really exciting. When I came back home to LA, I had a meeting in their incredible store in West Hollywood. Kathy Rose, Roseark’s owner, was so kind and enthusiastic, and after our meeting, I gave her my very first collection. Roseark allowed me to have a more international clientele, and a result of our collaboration, celebrities like Miley Cyrus and Jennifer Lawrence now own my work, and my jewelry has been featured in Cosmopolitan and on the red carpet of the Latin Billboard awards.

Since then, I have split my time working between Los Angeles and Brussels. I presented my collection at my first Paris Fashion Week last fall. It was surreal to be able to present my work surrounded by such inspiring artists and to continue to see the many possibilities jewelry as an art form can have. To me, exploring those possibilities and having a piece of my jewelry become part of someone’s life is why I find this art form particularly unique.

Please tell us about your art.
Because I’ve always loved to work with my hands, and I’ve been traveling for pretty much all of my life, I wanted to find a way to combine all of these elements into something that can reflect the inspiration I found in the cities I’ve spent time in. I art direct and photograph the majority of our shoots myself, and I love being in control of each element of this brand I’ve created. One of my biggest sources of inspiration is actually ancient Greek and Roman jewelry, and I’ve seen such incredible pieces in museums around the world. These definitely influence the pieces I create, but I also like to play with how each piece feels on the skin. Some pieces have a thin little band that you can’t even feel when you’re wearing it, and my signature dangles are playful and dance across the surface of the skin. I want my pieces to be fascinatingly unusual and timeless while keeping a sense of movement and fun.

For the last few years, I’ve been making one of a kind pieces of jewelry. I work primarily in yellow gold, with colorful stones that are dripping with color. I use tourmaline most often, but I am drawn to all kinds of stones, especially when they have something unusual about them. For example, I gravitate towards asymmetric stones or ones with interesting inclusions inside of them. I work to make sure that each piece feels special, and that there is something about it that feels refreshing. Maybe that’s why I find myself shooting so many photos of my pieces with sunshine and fruit!

I really just want to create pieces of jewelry that the wearer never wants to take off, because it’s unlike anything else. I love the idea of someone owning a piece of jewelry that is just as unique as they are.

What do you think about the conditions for artists today? Has life become easier or harder for artists in recent years? What can cities like ours do to encourage and help art and artists thrive?
I feel that the conditions for artists have definitely changed because we have platforms like social media that can help us reach a global audience, but it’s still very challenging to perfect your craft and build a business around your passion. The market is always changing, and artists always need to adapt, but fortunately, Los Angeles has been role model for other cities across the US as it is a young city that offers a lot of scholarship opportunities, collectives, and people that appreciate and purchase art. I do feel that LA could offer more ways of showing artwork that is outside of the gallery and museum world. There could be more platforms to bring independent artists with small businesses together through fairs or events. For example, there is an entire festival dedicated to jewelry in Basel. Los Angeles could easily have something similar.

There are many obstacles that an artist needs to overcome, and we must remain resilient in the face of the highs and lows that we all experience in the process. It can be easy to feel discouraged, lost, or even pessimistic about your odds of success, but that is where other artists can come in and help.

I think one of the best things we can do is to actually extend a helping hand. I was so lucky to meet an artist that was willing to teach me what she knew and show me the ropes. Sometimes we don’t even think to ask, but amazing things can happen when you turn to someone who is successful in your line of work and ask for guidance, and they say yes!

Networking isn’t always something that feels natural to us as artists, but it is essential. I encourage all of us to be open to daring to ask and daring to help. Art is so important in our world, so why not do everything we can to help it thrive?

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
I currently have a collection at Roseark in West Hollywood and another collection in Tucci Boutique in Del Mar.

An eShop is in the works, so stay tuned!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.christinamagdolna.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinamagdolnajewelry/

Image Credit:
Christina Washington

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