Get to Know Joy Sangalang Smith of Communion by Joy

Five-year-old jewelry collection Communion by Joy is a celebration of light, with beams of brightness radiating outward in each piece. Designer Joy Sangalang Smith, based in the City of Angels, garners inspiration from life’s mysteries and—and not surprisingly considering her collection name—religion, as she grew up a Catholic. “There are planes of light expanding—like an aura from within—in my pieces,” she says. After dabbling in communications and art, she took a lost wax casting class and finally found her calling. An apprenticeship with a jeweler sealed her fate. “I realized that I wanted to be the artist,” she says. Now, sculptural styles aim to express inner strength (that light again). Smith casts her 14k gold pieces set with diamonds and moonstones in the U.S., sculpting most pieces in wax instead of sketching items. “My creative process comes to life as I am carving,” she says.