Exclusive Interview with Dana Miller of Kalos and Co. Jewelry

I recently sat down with jewelry designer and D.C. native Dana Miller at Tampa hot spot Bricks to talk about her line…

Kalos and Co.

Kalos kagathos : Ancient Greek καλὸς κἀγαθός [kalos kaːɡatʰǒs]

… a phrase used by classical Greek writers to describe an ideal of personal conduct, beautiful and good, or virtuous … the chivalrous ideal of the complete human personality, harmonious in mind and body, foursquare in battle and speech, song and action. The possession of the beautiful and the good “kalos kai agathos” …

AurumEve: What brought you into the jewelry world?

KalosandCo: Although I was heavily involved with visual arts in high school, I came into jewelry in a very random and roundabout way. Both of my siblings graduated with MFAs ahead of me, so I was very determined to stay as far from the art realm as possible when I headed to college. I was a Political Science/ Philosophy double major! I felt that I needed to make money and to go to law school to be successful. I started working at J. Crew during the summers between college and fell so much in love with it that I ended up ‘sneaking’ and continuing to work during the school year. When I finally realized that I had no choice but to confess to my parents before I filled out a W2, my mother’s response was: I know- you’ve been dressing to well!

My life has always been: “flow with the tide of what I think I want to do”. So I actually continued on and moved to Anthropologie, where I eventually helped open their second accessories store in Rockville, Maryland. What I learned is that accessories can be comfortable, fashionable and well made. I learned that your jewelry choices are an investment. All it takes is a necklace or pair of earrings that can add so much more to your look and confidence. It was great being part of the brand; I loved their culture and my experience with Anthropologie over the years had helped me so much with what would become Kalos and Co. However, at the time I still was not ‘there’ yet… When my husband and I received his official job transfer letter to move to Tampa, it gave me the impetus to start Kalos and Co. :there was no denying it, it was time.

AurumEve: When I look at your work, I see a really interesting play with balance. The pieces are raw, organic and repurposed: humble- and the structure of the pieces give an elegant and simple ethos. However, I find that your pieces have a certain presence and are in a sense large, but not overbearing. Can you speak to this?

KalosandCo: I think about balance with KalosandCo. What I want to do is bring the quality and variety back to jewelry that is generally missing. All of my pieces will have a contrast somewhere in the metals to provide a unique balance: whether I use a copper accent with a sterling silver or gold with a silver finding –  or even an antique element to bring the warmer colors out. I also play with femininity to add an earthy but whimsical element. Also, I’ve had the very supportive Etsy community offering advice and helping me shape my brand.

AurumEve: I love what you’ve done with opals and I see that many of your pieces have opals as the central focus. Is this because of an affinity for opals, the price point or availability?

KalosandCo: I’ve always loved opals, but had only seen polished opals. As I was chalcedony and opal hunting  for pieces, I came across a small raw opal, and purchased a few. When I saw it ‘in person’ I felt that it was one of the most beautiful and unique stones that I had ever seen and was surprised that I had not seen them more often. The smaller pieces are often overlooked because of their size, like the small raw opals that I use – but the quality is still there.

AurumEve: My favorite piece from your collection is the Evil Eye necklace. I would not have read ‘evil eye’ from seeing the stone on its own, but love that you went three steps ahead and named it as such. It adds so much more to the already stunning stone. How did you come to see this?

KalosandCo: I see that people want to feel traveled and they want their pieces to tell a story. They love pieces that are thought to be one way but can be seen differently through a different material or uncommon perception. When I looked at the stone I looked to see how it could be seen through a different lens.

AurumEve: Where do you see Kalos and Co. in the future?

KalosandCo: I would love to participate in more green and humane initiatives such as sustainable sourcing. I do see a possibility of opening a store one day as well.

AurumEve: Do you have a piece of jewelry that is special to you- and in what way?

KalosandCo: One of my favorite pieces is a necklace that I received from my grandmother when I was eight years old and she passed. It’s a beautifully minimalist gold necklace with pearls every inch to inch and a half. It’s there in my dilapidated jewelry box from ages ago. I really cherish it. She wanted me to have it…

That’s what jewelry is about. It evokes memories, passion. That is how I think of jewelry. When I see that piece I think of my grandmother and my family and of being a part of something bigger than myself.

All images courtesy of KalosandCo.