About
Story
My name is Kathleen Lamberti and I was born in the Washington DC area. When I was 16 I moved to Kansas City where I was fortunate enough to go to a high school with an amazing art program. I took my first jewelry class and I was hooked. I was fascinated with the manipulation of metal and it’s many possibilities. I went on to get a Bachelors in Design for the University of Kansas and a Masters in Fine Art from Cranbrook Academy of Art. Upon graduating, I moved to San Fransisco, CA where I launched K. Lamberti Designs. Soon after, I became involved in the fashion world and my work was being pulled for fashion shows and publications. I relocated to Los Angeles, CA so I could have more hands on involvement in fashion. As the business gain momentum, I began doing trade shows, gallery shows, and museum shows. I am fortunate enough to be able to work as an independent jewelry artist. You can find my work in galleries and museum shops throughout the US, Europe, and Japan.
Studio
Studio is my happy place. I can get lost in there. Over the years my concept of jewelry has changed. I use to create in primarily metal. I now experiment in combining fibers with the metal. I am always learning new techniques in both disciplines. The addition of the fibers gives a softness to the metal and allows me to incorporate color. I work with both materials, but start with my first love metal.
I work in a variety of styles as well. I struggle between being a jewelry artist and embracing the fashion world. Sometimes they intersect but often times the dialogue going on in the fashion world is very different then the fine craft world. I do not believe I need to commit to one or the other. My work develops and grows by embracing both and sometimes one inspires the other. You will see this in my collections. They may seem to come from very different places, but there is a unifying aesthetic that blankets all the work. My professor at Cranbrook, Gary Griffin, always pushed to make a piece even if it seems outside a collection. You will learn and grow from every piece you make whether it fits or not.