The Team is Ready

The KJD 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 rest of the team is:

- Lisa Krikawa, Designer, Business Manager
- John Krikawa, Master Modeller and Information Technologist
- Melissa Longest, Office Manager
- Jackie Froeliger, Sales Manager
- Susan Ruff, Website and Marketing Specialist
- Dan Marshall, Shop Manager, Goldsmith
- Maureen Brusa Zappellini, Goldsmith
- Kristen Smith, Goldsmith
- Slava Shukel, Goldsmith

Lisa has received many awards for her designs and craftsmanship.

This year, 2008, Lisa and her team have already won numerous awards. 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.

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”. Winning in the “Parure” category among all North American entrants, Krikawa’s set will now be proceed to the international competition to compete against finalists from over 30 countries.

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.

She is a member of the Society of North American Goldsmiths, the American Craft Council, and the Arizona Designer Craftsmen.

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

DESIGN AWARDS

-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 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, Office Manager
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 Manager
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.

Susan Ruff, Website and Marketing Specialist
Susan has worked in art museums and galleries in curatorial and director positions, as well as in the tourism industry in promotions. She has never been far from the jewelry trade however. Her experience includes 10 years in sales and management at a high end retail jewelry store, an apprenticeship with master metalsmith Eveli Sabatie, and several years of producing her own line of jewelry in sterling silver and semi-precious stones.

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.