March Spotlight on BIPOC-Owned Jewelry Businesses: Artifact Process

March 1, 2022

In this month's spotlight of Black, Indigenous & People of Color (BIPOC)-owned jewelry businesses I have the pleasure of sharing the work of Carmen Celeste, a multi-disciplinary silversmith and artist who runs Artifact Process.

Carmen's work is rich with significance and beautiful gemstones. She pays unique attention to the complexities of the creative process which she shares and explores with great awareness in her Instagram posts.

I was able to ask Carmen some questions to get to know a bit more about her creativity.

In a few words how would you describe the soul of your work that you hope comes across to the customer or viewer?

Carmen: The soul of my work is the depth I plumb continuously. I don’t think I’ve quite figured it out yet, but I often get caught up in deep thinking, existential, philosophical, and sense of place. I often return to thinking about ancient connection. Generations of artists of various media who came before me and forged something from self expression. What comes out in the end may convey that, I’m not sure. But I hope it’s that feeling of connection to that very persistent power of creation.

What have been some of the biggest influences and inspirations along your art-making journey?

Carmen: I gather my influences from all art I encounter. But my greatest influences are my partner, Rich, and my best friend Kerstin, who are prolific and disciplined artists. Their persistence in their various works and their curiosity are inspiring. I am also inspired by many art forms, recently sculpture, painting, classical guitar, and dance. I tend to gravitate to these media when I admire various works and artists.

What is your "happy place"? AKA ideal flow environment or activity, etc. IE: who/what/where/how makes you feel AWESOME and happy?

Carmen: My place of contentment is solitude, quiet, and a deliberately slowed pace. It’s a place I don’t often encounter, but can bumble into when I’m making art. It at’s a space where my soul feels safe and I am able to acknowledge my existence and experiences without distraction, while also having room to explore.

Carmen's jewelry often feels like it holds the weight of much more than is visible, like there is meaning forged into the metal itself. In her Memento Medallions Collection, Carmen writes that the pieces "are imbued with a power of their own, only to be revealed to their soulmates". I love this, because as a jeweler, one of the most rewarding things is for our work to hold significance for it's owner beyond what we could have imagined as we made it. This Frog and Tanzurine Memento Vivere Medallion below is one of three Medallions in Carmen's shop.

Below is a stunning ring set that Carmen made featuring bold faceted stones and mixed metals. These rings are no longer available, but Carmen accepts custom work!

I’d like to also share a painting of Carmen’s, since, as I mentioned, she is a multi-disciplinary artist. This intriguing and aesthetically enjoyable watercolor and ink piece is called Chaos & Grace #4.

This Friday, March 4th Carmen will be updating her website with new jewelry, including these special garnet earrings. There are a handful of video reels on her Instagram that show the behind-the-scenes steps to making these and some of other pieces she’ll have available on Friday.