Colorado-based jeweler Kate Maller has opened a stylish multibrand jewelry store, Kate Maller Jewelry, in the heart of Denver’s Highlands neighborhood to spotlight sustainably sourced and made jewelry collections, including her own.
The shop at 3450 West 32nd Ave. opened last week and also stocks a few accessories and homewares collections—all by indie artisans who prioritize sustainability in their sourcing and fabrication.
Alongside Kate Maller’s jewelry are pieces from Luana Coonen, Judi Powers, Petite Baleine, Variance Objects, Sarah Swell, Julie Cohn, Rachel Atherley, Petra Class, Sarah McGuire, and April Higashi. Works by ceramicists Elizabeth Benotti, MQuan, Mallory Wetherell, and Lauren HB Studio are joined by bags from Shana Luther and Future Glory Co., and shawls and scarves by Lia Molly, among other items.
Maller says the shop has been a longtime dream of hers—she thinks her work, which is very tactile, is “best experienced in person.”
The designer has also always liked sharing standout work from other indie designers, which dovetailed into her decision to open a multibrand, instead of monobrand, store. “Supporting and sharing the work of other artists brings me joy,” she explains. “When curating for the shop, I bought things that I truly loved and wanted to share with others…. I wanted to create a store where people feel comfortable to simply pop by and see what’s new.”
Maller’s a jewelry designer now, but her background is in sustainable architecture and landscape architecture—and her passion for environmental issues and social justice is decades long and “shaped my commitment to sustainability,” she says. Before becoming a metalsmith, at one point she was a LEED-certified professional dedicated to making buildings “as green as possible.”
When she began making jewelry, Maller was compelled to be as environmentally responsible as possible. “My main objective starting out was to figure out how to establish reliable sources and practices that would be sustainable,” she says. It wasn’t easy. “I recall asking people who had been in the business for decades, and were masters of their craft, but they couldn’t tell me where or how to get sustainably sourced gemstones. Environmental degradation and social justice are major concerns when it comes to mining and extracting the raw materials jewelers use. For me, sustainability is an ethical concern not only in my business, but also in my life.”
Maller, whose organic-feeling jewelry has an enthusiastic following in the Denver area, says she’s most excited about the store potential to widen the local audience for sustainable indie collections.
“I’m really proud of the environment we’ve created at the new shop,” she says. “We are very passionate about a high level of craftsmanship, quality, and sustainability, and we look forward to sharing these values with people in person.”
Top: The outside of the new Kate Maller Jewelry store in Denver (all photos courtesy of Kate Maller Jewelry)
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