~ Sobia Moman
A love for the arts and using her hands to produce work led Kat Cadegan to take the leap into full-time artisan.
After numerous years dedicated to academic success in multiple universities, Cadegan chose to pivot her life to a more creative route. She went from studying sciences to studying metalsmithing.
“I thought that’s what I had to do, but in my heart, I was always drawn to the arts and to making things.”
In 2006, Cadegan took a trip to India and enrolled in the Ravi Silver and Goldsmith School in the city of Pushkar to learn jewelry making.
“I was just surrounded by gemstones everywhere and I fell in love with the endless stores and streets and entire towns. All they sell, all they do is gems,” she said.
Cadegan’s time in India came to an end but her passion for metalsmithing did not. She went on to study and graduate from the Sterling Quest School in Mexico and then the Kootenay School of Arts in Nelson.
After studying and producing metal smithing across Asia, Mexico and Eastern Canada, Cadegan decided to settle down in Revelstoke.
Nature is where Cadegan gets her inspiration from most. The items used in the jewelry she produces come straight from the Earth.
In order to make money through her academic adventures, Cadegan worked as a tree planter. This also allowed her to have the funds to build inventory for the jewelery store she now owns.
Once her business was up and running, Cadegan was able to stop tree planting and focus solely on making and selling jewelry.
Environmental issues are a huge concern for Cadegan, which is why she chooses to source materials ethically for her business and make sustainable products.
“Taking the steps of finding the stone, designing the piece and then actually making the piece and seeing the finished product from the initial concept is a very satisfying process,” Cadegan said.
Kat Cadegan Jewellery runs as a storefront and also an online shop due to her hard work. She is also able to make custom jewelry for her customers which is a joy of Cadegan’s, she said.
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