Barbara Heinrich gushes over the vision and distinctive style of So Young Park.
[dropcap cap=A] native of South Korea, So Young Park developed an interest in the arts at an early age. While attending Kon-Kuk University in Seoul, her fascination with metals and how to work with them led to bachelor and master of fine art degrees in metal and jewelry. She opened her own studio called DuDuRim and participated in solo and group exhibitions. In 2001, Park came to the U.S. and graduated with a second M.F.A. in metal and jewelry design from the Rochester Institute of Technology. She then taught metalsmithing at Syracuse University and RIT as an adjunct professor and worked part-time in Barbara Heinrich’s studio. In 2006, Park decided to start her own collection and has been running her own jewelry and metals studio called So Young Park Studio ever since. — STORY BY BETH BERNSTEIN [/dropcap]
BARBARA HEINRICH ON SO YOUNG PARK
“I am involved in giving awards and internships in my studio to students at Rochester Institute of Technology, and from the moment I saw So Young Park’s work in 2003, I could see that she was gutsy, bold, original and that she was extremely prolific and could work with many different materials.”
“So worked in my studio part-time and was extremely dedicated. She was very interested in learning everything — not just creating, like many designers, but also absorbing all of the knowledge she could about the business, including how to price, how to put an entire collection together and how to get everything ready for a trunk or trade show.”
“She has a natural touch when it comes to working in metals and adding materials such as gemstones. Her work is organic, highly tactile, creative and thoughtful in its execution.”
“So is fearless. She can take criticism and utilize it almost immediately. She has strong ideas, but she also has a great sense of humor and is delightful to know and work with.”
“When someone else works for you and in your style for a while, sometimes it can rub off on them when they go off to launch their own careers, but this never happened with So. Her own look was too strong and important to her, and that is what we all should be looking for in designers.”
“So is going to be successful because she creates a following. Consumers want more of her work. She continues to evolve and to push herself to grow.”
BARBARA HEINRICH: Before opening her jewelry business 25 years ago, Heinrich studied jewelry and hollowware design in Germany and apprenticed as a goldsmith. After studying at Pforzheim College of Design, she came to the United States and received her M.F.A. at Rochester Institute of Technology. Her jewelry has won many awards, most recently the 2011 MJSA Vision Award with first place in Gold Distinction, and the 2009 Couture Design Award for Best in Gold.
[componentheading]Designs from Pamela Froman[/componentheading]
[smalltext]Oriental Hill: Necklace of oxidized silver, 24K gold leaf and white pearls[/smalltext]
[smalltext]Observing Ocean: Pendant of oxidized silver, pearls and precious beads[/smalltext]
[smalltext]Fall Smell: Ring of oxidized silver, 24K gold leaf and beadwork[/smalltext]
[span class=note]This story is from the July-August 2011 edition of INDESIGN[/span]