In this month's spotlight of Black, Indigenous & People of Color (BIPOC)-owned jewelry businesses I look forward to sharing the wonderful mix of skills and masterful work of Funlola Coker.
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Funlola is currently a MFA candidate at SUNY New Paltz in New York. Her body of work includes her thoughtful and exploratory portfolio pieces as well as her contemporary and colorful production line of jewelry. In the photo above, Funlola is wearing a pair of eye-catching enamel earrings that are part of her current made-to-order offerings.
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The experience of being an immigrant from Nigeria and finding her identity in a new society informs some of Funlola’s design themes. See a beautiful short video of Funlola in her studio talking about her ethos. She has a knack for creating unconventional shapes and using bold color. I respect her love for flatness in many of her earring styles, as I too think flatness is appealing. The earrings below are so elegant and fun precisely because of their flatness and color!
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The breadth of Funlola’s work is clear as you take a scroll through her Instagram. From bezel settings to one-of-a-kind compositions, to gold and precious gemstones, Funlola’s got so much skill. Visit the Portfolio section on her website to discover her latest and really interesting pieces in “To Grow You, Is To Know You”, an exploration of her relationship to her hair as expressed through metalwork.
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I also highly recommend a peruse through her more sculptural (but still small!) collections, Work 2018-2019 and Miniatures. I mean, look a these waffles! They’re earrings!
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Something I really appreciate is Funlola’s stance that jewelry is for any body. That feels really important to state clearly, in a field where the overwhelming assumption and depiction is that jewelry is for a female body. Funlola’s logo reflects this, being an amalgamation of the alchemical symbols for the non-ferrous metals she uses as well as a play on the gender symbols.
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I am sure if you should choose to wear her work you will feel the thoughtfulness and care that went into its creation. Regardless, I hope you follow along with Funlola’s journey through her MFA and beyond.
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