Christina Critelli

Where do you live?

I live in Queens County suburb of NYC.

What inspires you as a designer-artist?

The artwork of ancient jewelry from 3500BC from Greece, Egypt and China. The Met is a beautiful place to visit and learn a great deal of interesting pieces of art from our ancestry.

What materials do you most enjoy working with?

Gemstones, beads, Crystal, Preciosa crystal gold, spacers and 14KT gold.

Why did you become enchanted with this style of jewelry-making?

Learning from the ancient artists that made jewelry with what they had in their day inspired me, the stones they used like lapis lazuli, in Egypt. Carnelian in Greece, jade--different types of jade--the way they carved the stone is amazing! And the ancients of China were intelligent ancients. This was my inspiration that made me today's new artistry of my jewelry.

What is the name of the piece you submitted with your success story

Happiness. In China, it's the jade fish upwards meaning happy and healthy relationships.

What inspired this design?

The Metropolitan Museum of Asian Art section 2nd floor. The Pagoda was amazing with the atrium showing the sculpture of the scholar.

How did it come together?

Based on seeing the ancient pieces of jewelry, I modernized it from 3500BC to
2018--2 - 3,000 years!