Only One Original
Fifteen years after introducing their now-iconic linked rings, Yves Spinelli and Dwyer Kilcollin continue to shape the language of contemporary fine jewelry. Their first linked rings, crafted for themselves in a garage in East Los Angeles, were architectural, modular, and unwittingly radical. From those beginnings, Spinelli Kilcollin has grown into a globally-recognized brand while staying true to the values that defined its origin: uncompromising craftsmanship, intentional design, and a belief in jewelry as both personal and enduring. In this conversation, Yves and Dwyer reflect on the brand’s evolution, the creative synergy that drives their work, and the timeless spirit at the heart of Spinelli Kilcollin.
Q: Tell me a bit about yourselves. How did you both get into this craft and jewelry design in particular?
A: As an artist, Dwyer has creative strengths while I am more business oriented. We bonded over a mutual desire to create alternative, architectural jewelry and felt that we could be a new, defining voice. The first linked rings we ever made were just for ourselves to wear. We wanted something kinetic, sort of modular and layered but clean and grounded in its form. Right away friends, acquaintances, and strangers put in orders for their own, and we were selling them right off of our hands. There was nothing else like them on the market and we always wanted to work together creatively so we took a leap and started SK. We approach jewelry through our understanding of fashion, art, and what people want; which is non-traditional, elevated wearable jewelry. Just like our designs, it is all about mixing and matching, so we integrate our expertise to make it ours collaboratively.
Q: Where do you get your inspiration from?
YS: Music has always inspired me. I refresh my brain by listening to records on my hi-fi, and discovering new music, sounds, and colors.
DK: I draw inspiration from asking questions and connecting information and answers in my mind. I am a spatial thinker, very non-linear. So seemingly unrelated ideas come together in a way that sparks something new.
Thinking in terms of spatial relationships, I work in CAD design a lot, which is a great way to quickly build up 3 dimensional sketches to visualize final objects as they will be in real life. Sketching on paper is good if I know exactly what I want to communicate, however, it doesn’t help me think as much as 3D design.
Q: What’s the story behind the brand – how would you describe your ethos?
YS: In 2015 we started the brand from our garage in East LA. At the time I was working as a fashion consultant and Dwyer was an established sculptor. I had been working at Maxfield and became interested in the jewelry trends at the time. It was then that I began thinking about the idea of the interconnected ring that could be stacked or worn across several fingers. So I asked my father, Antoine, if he would be willing to make the first version of that idea. He’s a man of many talents, with a love of metalsmithing. So he made it, and I started wearing it. From there people really began to take notice and wanted their own. We recognized the potential of this ring concept and began building our brand.
Q: What does the first Original mean to you? How does it continue to inspire you today, 15 years later?
DK: It's such a simple concept — I’m always inspired by how minimal and simple the components are, yet how far the idea can take us. The different ways you can wear it, the small adjustments and changes you can make, giving a new dimension while not straying from the original concept.
Q: Craftsmanship — importance of quality, type of materials, and why — any techniques to note?
DK: Coming to jewelry as outsiders to the industry, our ideas came from art and fashion. When we wanted to mix silver and gold, there was a lot of push back from professional jewelers, and stores. Silver was considered a non-precious metal, so mixing it in a ring with gold broke the status bracket of “fine jewelry.” Then, when we wanted to set diamonds in silver, the jewelers nearly lost their minds- embedding such a sought after valuable stone in silver was something that just wasn’t done.
Q: Modern luxury & heritage — emphasis on intentionality, longevity, and meaning in design.
DK: We’ve built this brand on a single foundational design. In order to see that design last over years and decades, we’ve gone over every aspect of the pieces with microscopic precision. The proportion of the designs, the weight and balance are extremely important to the designs. One millimeter off is the difference between harmony and discord. The quality of craftsmanship is essential to each piece. Each band, each diamond, is set with extreme care and precision. Each piece moves through a very long process of quality checks, inspection, and control before being approved
Q: 15 years later, what does legacy mean to you? How do you want people to remember the origins of the Original linked ring?
DK: There was no visual reference—the design was communicated over a phone call. And that the design sort of grew out of both the intention, and the disconnect that happened over that game of telephone. As a life long artist, I’ve had hundreds of conversations with people wanting to get started with a creative endeavor. People often have this block, where they have trouble getting started because they are afraid it won't come out the way they want. They might be embarrassed. It won’t be perfect, they’re insecure. But in reality, the whole idea of creativity is to be open to the unexpected. You have to just dive in, and see what happens. The most magical results often come from the gap between what you thought you wanted, and what you end up getting.
Q: What’s changed—and what hasn’t—15 years later?
A: When we started, it was just us. In one way, it is still just us, the two founders of the brand. But, truly, our company has blossomed and grown with an incredible team. We would be nowhere without the brilliance of each person on our team! Each person brings their unique perspective and contributions, all of which make our company what it is today.
Our designs have evolved. Each piece holds the same precision of balance and proportion, of modularity and movement across all types of jewelry, from necklaces, earrings, bracelets, cuff links and wallet chains. Each piece carries with it the quality and material integrity that make us proud of our work and of our expression.
Q: What drew you to jewelry as a creative medium?
A: I come from an art background, and in the early days of our brand, I was going to grad school and showing with a gallery. The linked rings are totally different from the work that I made, but in many ways, the philosophy behind them are related — the intention less about the subject matter of the work, but more about the soul behind the material and expression. In the case of jewelry, the subject matter is a ring — essentially a collection of circles. The intention behind the ring is the way it’s made, the craft and care behind each piece.
Q: What does Spinelli Kilcollin mean?
A: Spinelli Kilcollin is us! It's our two names together, from when we first got together as a couple. I’ve always been a believer that if you give something a name that is not your own, you don’t have the same kind of pressure to put in everything in your heart and soul. We’ve worked so hard to get here. And every decision we’ve made comes from us. Building this brand is our life. It’s not a project, or a business endeavor. Spinelli Kilcollin is our life’s work. It means everything to us, and everything is what we put into it.
Q: How do you feel when you put on a Spinelli Kilcollin ring?
DK: I feel I’m at home no matter where I am. I’ve had times of life that have been extremely stressful. Wearing my original ring was like having Yves with me.
Q: What's your favorite Original?
YS: THE original!!! My aquarius!
Q: What does quality mean?
A: Quality means care. The care taken in the sourcing of our materials, in the precision of our designs, in the skill of the craftsmanship, in the system of quality controls behind each piece we present
Q: What does craftsmanship mean?
A: Craftsmanship is a skilled art form. It combines incredibly honed technical skills, taking years and years of experience to master.
Q: What does original mean?
A: Original means having a unique idea — it's contributing something new to the world, and standing by your idea through thick and thin, criticism and praise.
Q: Keywords that describe the brand?
A: Modular, bold, universal