The Team is Ready

The Krikawa Team

Krikawa Jewelry Designs is a small, family operated business, located in Tucson, Arizona. KJD is run by the husband and wife team of John and Lisa Krikawa. Lisa is a professional jewelry designer, master goldsmith, and business developer for KJD, and John is an Information Technologist. The whole team is:

• Lisa Krikawa, Custom Jewelry Designer, Founder
• John Krikawa, Chief Technologist
• Melissa Longest, Director of Operations
• Jackie Froeliger, Sales and Design Consultant
• Dan Marshall, Shop Manager, Goldsmith
• Kristen Smith, Goldsmith
• Slava Shukel, Goldsmith
• Maureen Brusa Zappellini, Goldsmith

Every piece of jewelry is made in our private gallery and workshop. See how the team works together to create every piece of jewelry in our private studio on our Custom Ring Design Process page.

• CUSTOMER SERVICE TEAM and ORDER PROCESS
• CUSTOM DESIGN PROCESS and DEVELOPMENT
• APPOINTMENTS AT OUR PRIVATE SALON
• THE MAKING OF A RING
• FINAL INSPECTION AND SHIPPING

Come inside to see
The Krikawa Experience

2009 kicked off with a blast, with the Jonas Brothers wearing custom platinum and diamond pins by Krikawa.

Lisa has received many awards for her designs and craftsmanship. This year, 2009, Lisa and her team have already won numerous awards, including a First for Professional Jewelry with JewelryInTheNet, and the Mort Abelson Scholarship for study with the masters as the Revere Academy of Jewelry. In addition, two finalist placings with National Jeweler, including one for National Print Advertising and Colored Stone Jewelry.

In 2008, Krikawa took first place in the WJA's Diva Awards for her Platinum Wedding Set. Krikawa swept the team division in the B.W.Simon International Bench Jewelers 4th Annual Passion Awards Design Competition. Lisa was again a winner of the annual MJSA Vision Award Design Competition with a 1st place in their Mokume Gane Distinction and a 2nd place in the Palladium Distinction. A ring by Krikawa was featured on the Cover of Tucson Guide's 2008 Spring Issue.

In 2007 Krikawa was awarded first place in the Tahitian Pearl Trophy 5th Edition competition sponsored by Perles De Tahiti GIE for her necklace, earring and ring set entitled “Curls & Pearls”. Early in 2007, Lisa was again awarded a first place in the 2008 MJSA Vision Award Design Competition for Mokume Gane.

In 2005, a White Mokume Wedding Band was selected for use in the Firewall movie starring Harrison Ford and Virginia Madsen.

Lisa was the recipient of the 1999 National NICHE Award for Gold Jewelry Design. She was awarded the 2000 Merit Award by the Buyers Market of American Craft.

Her work may be seen in the Winter 2000 issue of Metalsmith magazine, a journal that documents the course of contemporary art jewelry and metalwork. She has participated in numerous national high end craft shows, including the American Craft Council shows, Contemporary Crafts Market in Santa Monica, and the New York Crafts Park Avenue Shows. Exhibitions include Eyewear 2000, an invitational exhibition in New Zealand, and Millenium Metal 2001 at Artemis Gallery, an exhibition in conjunction with the Society of North American Goldsmiths conference in Richmond, Virginia.

Krikawa is a member of One Percent for the Planet, Responsible Jewellery Practices, American Gem Trade Association, Women's Jewelry Association, Manufacturers and Suppliers of America, and Jewelry Information Council.

You may contact Lisa via email, or by calling or writing the studio.

photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images

DESIGN AWARDS

-2009 Nat'l Jeweler Colored Stone
-2009 Nat'l Jeweler Advertising
-2009 Jewelry In The Net
-2009 Mort Abelson Scholarship
-2008 Diva Award, 1st Place
-2008 Passion Award, 1st Place
-2008 Passion Award, 2nd Place
-2008 Passion Award, Finalist
-2008 Passion Award, Finalist
-2008 Vision Award, 1st Place
-2008 Vision Award, 2nd Place
-2007 Tahitian Pearl Trophy, 1st -2007 Vision Award, 1st Place
-2007 Passion Award, 1st Place
-2007 Passion Award, 2nd Place
-2007 Passion Award, 2nd Place
-2006 Vision Award, 2nd Place
-2005 Vision Award, 2nd Place
-2000 Merit Award
-1999 Niche Award, 1st Place

John Krikawa, Master Modeller and Information Technologist
John Krikawa is a Technologist and Artist at Krikawa Jewelry Designs. John has been interested in computer graphics and design since 1985. He attended the University of Arizona, College of Electrical Engineering where he was able to further explore his outstanding computer abilities. He has a special affinity for the combination of visual arts and computer graphics. In 2004, he joined Krikawa Jewelry Designs, Inc. and has been performing CAD/CAM modeling of Lisa Krikawa's designs. Under Lisa's tutelage, he has also been able to explore jewelry design as a computer art form.

In 2008, John won two Judges Distinction Awards in the Matrix Design Contest sponsored by Gemvision. This competition judges the complexity and craftsmanship of the created model and rendering. As an integral part of the jewelry making process, John has succeeded in mastering this complex program and elevated the process to art.

In 2005, John received First Place for Technical Merit in Gemvision's First Annual Matrix Design Contest, at the Gemvision Matrix 5.0 Release Weekend in Chicago.

Melissa Longest, Director of Operations
A native of New Orleans, Melissa moved to Tucson after Hurricane Katrina to be close to family members. A 2000 graduate of Tulane University with a BA in sociology, she has been putting her people skills to work keeping KJD running smoothly since June 2006. Recently promoted to VP of Operations, Melissa ensures that the company philosophy to 1) create a great product, 2) provide outstanding customer service, and 3) maintain a comfortable and supportive work environment, is fulfilled every day.

Jackie Froeliger, Sales and Design Consultant
Jackie moved to Tucson from LA to join the KJD team in 2006 after working in the jewelry business for several years in Southern California. Possessing a passion for gemology since childhood, Jackie is a graduate of the Gemological Institute of America with a Diamond Diploma. Enthusiastic about finding the perfect stone for each client, Jackie cultivates relationships with reputable gem dealers to ensure that Krikawa clients get the best stones available.

Dan Marshall, Goldsmith, Shop Manager
A graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology with a degree in jewelry design, Dan worked for 10 years in New York City as a goldsmith and four years in the Catskills as a woodworker. Drawn to Tucson's arts and jewelry community (and mild winters), Dan relocated here in February 2007. His meticulous craftsmanship, attention to fine detail, and experience with high karat gold make his contributions to the Krikawa metal team especially welcome.

Maureen Brusa Zappellini, Goldsmith
Maureen has been a metalsmith since 1985 and has trained in many places including New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Italy. A master metalsmith in her own right, Maureen has been producing her own line of jewelry for many years. While her own work focuses on using sterling silver as the primary metal, she has been challenged at KJD to work with precious metals and to learn new techniques. She is included in the Lark Book, 500 Earrings, and is a past-president of Arizona Designer Craftsmen.

Kristen Smith, Goldsmith
Kristen moved here from Chicago in October 2007 to take a goldsmith position with Krikawa. Having worked for production jewelry companies for years, she was looking for a career where she could expand her considerable skills but also stretch her own creativity. The one of a kind nature of KJD jewelry perfectly fits that bill. Kristen received her BFA from Northern Illinois University in metalwork and jewelry.

Yaroslav Shukel, Master Goldsmith
Slava spent over twelve years working for the jewelry industry in both Boston and New York before opening his own studio in Boston which he operated for seven years. He has been honored to receive a number of highly regarded awards, including four Spectrum Awards, that recognize his fine craftmanship and exceptional designs. He comes to Tucson with training, experience, and skills of the highest magnitude.

Team Krikawa, at your service.

From left to right:
Jackie, Maureen, Lisa, John, Melissa, Susan, Slava, Kristy, Dan.