Kimi Haraguchi

I have been making jewelry since I was a child. I first learned Native American styles of bead weaving from a bunkmate at summer camp and by junior high I was known for selling jewelry to my teachers and classmates out of a fishing tackle box.

Many of my designs are often structurally based on bead weaving stitches, but I also use a lot of chain and wire in my more recent designs.

I find inspiration in nature, art history, fashion history, design from other cultures and in my eclectic urban surroundings.

Ring Of Fire Necklace Project

Ring Of Fire Necklace

This necklace was a challenge to make! I wanted to incorporate strands of cord in with the beads and was unsure how to fasten them all together neatly. I ended up using a 26 gauge wire to bind the cords together, then I stitched seed beads over the wire with thread so the wire wouldn’t […]

Good Juju Wire Wrapped Collar Project

Good Juju Wire Wrapped Collar

This piece was inspired by a friend’s Kenyan necklace made of bone & horn. I loved the strong shapes and the way the horns tapered around the sides of the neck. My beaded version looks nothing like hers, but it captures a similar earthy, bold feeling. I made frames with 20 gauge sterling plated copper […]