Wood may seem like an unlikely material to craft jewelry out of, but for Sophie Monet, the warm texture is a reflection of her Southern California upbringing, recalling the palm tree-lined streets of Santa Monica and afternoons spent in the workshop of her dad, John Okulick. Well-known for his large-scale wood sculptures and surfboards, Okulick taught Monet the way around his workspace. After graduating from The New School in New York, she moved back to L.A., where, in 2009, she started creating her own line of jewelry, often from her dad’s scrap material. Now her earrings commonly incorporate stones like jade or gold metal accents, while necklaces feature chains made of gold or brass. Monet crafts all of her pieces in her Venice studio, located directly above her dad’s woodshop.
