USC jewelers find community in Y2K nostalgia

Once a childhood summer camp staple, beaded jewelry is back — but, now, it’s high fashion.

Drawing on the popular wave of Y2K nostalgia, designers from the poshest brands to independent creators are reminiscing on the bright beaded pieces of our youth. And USC jewelers are tapping into the growing subculture.

Caroline Cai, who graduated from USC last spring, started her Instagram jewelry store @clairolime after finding inspiration from other designers on the platform. Using old childhood trinkets, Cai began making intricate charm necklaces in the fall of 2020. Her page now boasts over 11,000 followers, which she attributes to the close-knit community she’s found online.

“I find that the community is really rich and encouraging, so we introduce each other to our followings … the sharing power of Instagram can make your work visible to so many people and I could have never imagined that something I’ve made would have crossed so many people’s pages,” Cai said.

Cai describes her jewelry-making style as “whimsical” and enjoys celebrating the playful aspects of childhood with her pieces. She combines pearls, beads and charms to create her looks, which have graced the necks of Instagram heavyweights like former Disney star Rowan Blanchard. 

She also credited her newfound hobby with keeping her creative while living at home during the pandemic. Cai said she believes that, since jewelry is wearable, it makes the creative process unique from other art forms. 

“Making a piece of art that stands alone is one thing, but marrying your personality and your spirit with it — I just think it’s something really special,” Cai said. 

Cai is close with two other jewelers at USC — Jing Feng and Maya Robles — all of whom frequently give each other advice and feedback on their jewelry-making businesses.  

Feng, a senior majoring in fine arts, dabbles in multiple artistic mediums but spends the most time on her jewelry company @harlothands on Instagram. While Feng initially didn’t intend to sell her pieces, she now runs a successful shop with over 52,000 followers. 

Her statement necklaces typically feature a centerpiece charm, such as a butterfly or a cross, with pearls and crystals surrounding it. Feng sources her materials from several places, including Ebay, antique shops and wholesale bead stores. 

“I really like vintage pendants and vintage items and objects that carry a history to them,” Feng said. “It really helps me create really unique and different kinds of pieces.”

The more complex chain-based necklaces can take up to three hours to make, but Feng enjoys the intricacy of the process. She also integrates her past creative pursuits like fashion into jewelry-making. Feng finds the practice of repurposing thrifted items similar to the upcycled nature of her pieces. 

“I’ve just been through a lot of different style and persona phases, and, making this jewelry, it’s kind of keeping each one of those alive even though I can’t incorporate all of them into my every day,” Feng said.  

Feng said her close bonds with Cai and Robles eases the burden of being a small business owner.

“We’ve created a really supportive and nurturing space, which I really appreciate and has helped me so much just in general in my entire life, my mental health and just on an everyday basis — having something to look forward to is really great,” Feng said. 

Robles, in a departure from beaded and chain necklaces, focuses on creating colorful rings with her page @fuchsiapeachrings. But Robles, a junior majoring in public relations and Spanish, still draws on Y2K aesthetics in her pieces. 

“I’m interested in the transformation from adolescence or even pre-pubescence into adulthood because a lot of times that is refracted through different objects that people own,” Robles said.  

A fuchsia peach design defines itself with its charm, which hangs from a vintage lucite ring. Previous designs include “Mariposa,” a vibrant blue, gem-encrusted ring with a dangling butterfly, and “My Cherry,” a square black ring with a cherry charm. 

Robles also donated part of the proceeds from her ring business to different mutual aid groups, including Hot and Cool Cafe, a coffee shop that hosts a community fridge in Leimert Park. She’s also donated to Reclaim and Rebuild Our Community, which advocates for unhoused people in El Sereno.

“My mom grew up in El Sereno and my grandma has been living there since she was a little girl, so I felt very connected to that community and I wanted to give back,” Robles said. 

While Robles isn’t sure where her ring business will take her, she knows she can rely on fellow USC jewelers for support.

“All of us are in this very niche, at times very weird, online community in which nobody else understands the inner workings or context of, and we can just talk to each other very candidly about what it is that’s going on,” Robles said.