Jewelry designer says ‘I do’ to creating new line

By IRENE SEIBERLING
Leader-Post
One of Canada’s hottest up-and-coming jewelry designers has found yet another niche she can fill — jewelry for weddings and celebrations. “Over the past few months, I have been approached by various brides to do pieces for themselves and their bridal party,” Ottawa-
based Karen McClintock explained. “One in particular had been searching for quite some time and could not find what she was looking for in her price range. She wanted turquoise, brown and silver for her bridesmaids. 

“She was also living in Inuvik and was limited in where she could source out her pieces. She was getting married in Cuba,” McClintock recalled. 

“In the end, she got exactly what she wanted,” she proudly pointed out. 

Never shy about exploring unfamiliar territory, McClintock started to do some research. She checked out bridal magazines. She talked to people in the industry. And she decided she was up for yet another new challenge.
“I realized that there was a large gap that I could fill,” she said. 

What McClintock discovered was that there were lots of options in the lower price range — costume jewelry made overseas with metal, glass and paste. And reputable jewelers offered plenty of high-end pieces — at thousands of dollars. 

“In my price range — $280 to $425 — there was little,” she insisted.
Yet another selling feature is McClintock’s ability to incorporate the colours many brides look for when searching for pieces for their bridesmaids. “What makes my pieces unique is both
the richness of colours and the styles that can be worn long after the wedding or celebrations,”
she said. “They are contemporary designs and put an edge to what is traditionally a conservative look.”
For Spring 2009, McClintock is offering eight groups, inspired by friend Michelle Valberg’s floral photographs. There’s a white group, for the bride — white, silver, iridescent. The other groups are: taupe, yellow, purple, blue, green, red and pink. 

McClintock’s weddings and celebrations collection incorporates semi-precious stones, Swarovski crystals and pearls, freshwater pearls, sterling silver, pewter, mother-
of-pearl, and cubic zirconia. Prices are the same as for her regular collections,
which are available online at www.KarenMcclintock. com at select Holt Renfrew locations, and from Ottawa-based Shepherd’s Fashion

and Accessories. For example, a fivestrand, pearl, Swarovski crystal sterling necklace costs $365. Or, a one-strand sterling link with amethyst, mother-of-pearl, Swarovski crystal, pewter, and cubic zirconia is $325. Swarovski crystal sterling drop earrings are $75. And a teal Swarovski crystal sterling bracelet is $125. McClintock isn’t competing with herself with the new collection. On the contrary. Loyal fans of Karen McClintock jewelry will continue to see regular seasonal collections. The new collection is targeted at a new audience. That said, there’s no rule that says you have to be a bride or bridesmaid to wear a piece from the weddings and celebrations collection! For more information, visit McClintock’s Web site at
www.KarenMcclintock.com, or e-mail her
at Karen@KarenMcclintock.com

Karen McClintock Makes Waves in the Fashion and Jewelry World

by Stephanie Findlay photos by Valerie Keele

What began when Karen McClintock wanted to
improve a necklace to sell at a garage sale has
catapulted her to the forefront of Canadian jewelry
design. In just three years, McClintock has established
herself in the Canadian custom jewelry market, selling
pieces at six of the nine Holt Renfrews in Canada
as well as, the boutique clothing store, Shepherd’s in
Ottawa.
McClintock spent the summer of 2005, designing
and producing custom pieces. By October, her buyer
recommended that she try selling to Holt Renfrew.
In what she describes as a “huge learning curve”,
McClintock spent the next seven months traveling
back and forth from Toronto customizing and
refining her work for sale in the specialty department
store. After only 10 months in the business, Holt
Renfrew picked up her line. She was one of only
two Canadian designers launched by Holt Renfrew
in 2006. Since then, McClintock has shown no signs
of slowing down. She’s recently been to Paris with
veteran fashion designer Linda Lundstrom, and is
currently planning a bridal line as well as working on a
coffee table book with award-winning photographer
Michelle Valberg of Ottawa.
McClintock is animated about her new ventures. “It’s
kind of like I have two people in me,” she explains, “a
realistic side, oh-my-god-I’ve-got-so-many-ordersto-
fill, and another entrepreneurial side. And it’s
definitely that entrepreneurial side that takes over.”
“If you had asked me three years ago if I had
expected this, there is no way.” McClintlock relays
that her close attention to her buyer’s needs make
her different from everyone else, “she (the buyer) told
me what she’d like to see and I did exactly that. I
took it literally because I didn’t know any different.
I didn’t have my own preconceived ideas of what I
was doing.” Since then, McClintock says that she’s
been able to develop her own look. However it is
her commitment to her clients that gives her an edge
in this competitive industry. “I never back down
from a challenge,” she says. Her first assignment for
Holt Renfrew was to create pieces following various
themes, including Pop Art. “Pop art wasn’t me at all. I
was at first going ‘wow, that’s a huge leap for me’ but
it came out really well.” McClintock is able to work
within unknown parameters and achieve success
with her diverse talents in jewelry design.
When asked about her favourite client relationship
story, McClintock tells about a woman soon to
become grandmother, “She wanted to get something
that would make her feel young and vibrant. She
bought a piece of my jewelry because it made her
feel wonderful…I had touched a person, believe it or
not, in a way that I had no idea.” Governor General
Michaelle Jean, who is featured in the upcoming
McClintock-Valberg book collaboration, is one of
many Canadians to appreciate McClintock’s work
and McClintock says that she has received positive
feedback from Her Excellency.
For now, the book release is tentatively scheduled
for Earth Day, 2009. In the meantime, McClintock
is busy finishing up her first wedding collection and
continuing to design and produce other designs.
Expansion to the United States is also in the works,
“I don’t know how many times people have said that
I’m going to make Oprah,” she laughs. If she does, and
Oprah is in one of her gifting moods — we’d like to
be a member of that studio audience with hopes that
McClintock’s designs were in the offering! n
For more information or to shop on-line visit,
www.karenmcclintock.com.
Karen McClintock