Hello there,

Thank you so much for indulging in the world of ProonK!

Let me tell me a little bit about myself and my label ProonK.

I am Lisa Juen, a fine art studio jeweller and founder and designer of ProonK Design Jewellery.

In 2007, I graduated from the Masters program, MA Jewellery, Silversmithing & Related Products, at the School of Jewellery in Birmingham, UK. As you might be able to tell, I am not a native English speaker. Originally, I am from Germany. Since 2012, I live in Utica, NY, where I set-up my jewellery studio and the home of ProonK.

One of my passions is to travel. So after my studies, it took me to Shanghai, China, where I stayed to teach Jewellery Design for five years. Next to my work at the college, I continued pushing my artistic jewellery practice. You can find my art work here: www.lisa-juen.com

Many of my art jewellery pieces have been and are on display in international galleries around the world. A lot of them traveled even more than me! It is a great feeling having work displayed in a gallery and showing it to people but after a while, I found that the circle of people who have access to it, is very limited. This might be because of the exclusivity or the price tag of the work or maybe because the scene is still fairly small and unknown.

In 2011, I decided to do something about it. I wanted to make great concepts and designs in jewellery available to a broad audience. I wanted to offer jewellery that unites innovative design, technology and craftmanship on an affordable level.

ProonK was born.

The name ProonK derives from the German word 'Prunk', which means as much as pomposity, pageantry, pomp. ProonK stands for everyday statement pieces. It is meant to bring a little sparkle in the ordinary and give you this little extra of BLING.

My artistic practice constantly develops and very often takes a variety of directions. A lot of times, my artistic practice and my work for ProonK influences each other and overlaps.

The first ProonK collection for example, 'Globalorettes', is made from stainless steel and cubic zirconia. My most recent collection has moved back towards more traditional making techniques and materials. After a long period of experimenting in more unusual materials, I felt the urge to get back to my roots again. This can also be seen in my reconnecting with techniques I learned when I was a small child. I very much enjoy hand-crocheting my jewellery, making it possible for each piece to be an individual. The crocheting and enameling process never gets boring. Each piece looks different and shows me a new beautiful face once it is completed. It is important to me to think that the future owners of my jewellery will also see and appreciate those slight nuances that make ProonK jewellery special.

The materials used in the crocheted 'Lace' Collection are pure Fine Silver 999 and kiln fired glass enamel. All pieces are made by hand in my Utica, NY studio, from crocheting to making the base structures to firing the jewellery in the kiln.

I hope you enjoy my work!
Thank you for stopping by the ProonK shop!


www.proonk.com
www.lisa-juen.com
www.lisajuenproonk.wordpress.com