Business Spotlight: SUBLIMA Jewelry
Kelly Bit of SUBLIMA Jewelry
SUBLIMA Jewelry
sublimajewelry.com
Meet Kelly Bit of SUBLIMA Jewelry! SUBLIMA is Kelly’s brand of artful and sustainable jewelry that she hand makes in New York by carving wax prototypes, which are molded and casted into recycled brass and sterling silver. The jewelry draws inspiration from well-loved objects in our everyday to visceral memories, and many of the pieces celebrate Asian heritage and culture.
Also at the heart of SUBLIMA is giving back; since 2020, SUBLIMA has donated more than $65,000 to nonprofits supporting NYC's Chinatowns, after-school programming, affordable housing and food security. SUBLIMA Jewelry was a vendor at Welcome to Chinatown’s Lunar New Year Fair.
Give us a brief background on yourself and your business!
I’m the founder and designer at SUBLIMA Jewelry, my collection of artful and sustainable jewelry that I hand make in New York from recycled metals. The jewelry I make draws inspiration from well-loved objects to visceral memories, and many of the pieces celebrate Asian culture, especially culinary delicacies.
Also at the heart of SUBLIMA is giving back; since 2020, we’ve donated more than $65,000 to nonprofits supporting NYC's Chinatowns, after-school programming, affordable housing and food security.
How did you start your business, and what inspired you?
I started SUBLIMA after I learned how to carve wax to create jewelry prototypes for molding and casting. My hand-carved wax models are molded, and from the molds they’re casted into recycled brass or sterling silver pieces, and then polished and assembled by hand. The inspiration is diverse, but much of the jewelry is inspired by Asian culture, with the beauty and emotional poignance of food as a recurring design concept. I aim to make striking and unexpected designs—many are somewhat abstract and tend to be interpreted diversely. I like making pieces that evoke different personal meanings for people.
Young generations are honoring and preserving traditional Chinatown while modernizing and innovating, and that inspires me to be involved in the community.
How does your identity as an Asian American influence your work?
During the pandemic, anti-Asian sentiment rose in public consciousness, and that, in combination with decreasing foot traffic to NYC’s Chinatown businesses and violence against Asians, inspired me to create pieces in celebration of Asian heritage and culture.
Because food is an extension of love, many of the pieces celebrate Asian culinary delicacies, such as tofu skin, soup dumplings and boba tea. I’ve aimed to create symbols of cultural pride by elevating the beauty of food through the art medium of jewelry.
Apart from food, I’ve also incorporated symbolic Chinese motifs into my designs, like the Chinese dragon representing strength and the Chinese character 囍, or Double Happiness.
Why is it important for you as an AAPI to be involved in the Chinatown community?
My family members began their lives in America in Manhattan’s Chinatown. My mother’s first home was on Mott Street, and because my dad lived in the East Village he also grew up going to Chinatown. After my parents moved to Long Island to raise me, they would take me to Chinatown to eat or run errands, and as a third-gen Chinese American kid, I was curious about the people and businesses—to be honest, it felt a bit like being in a foreign country (mainly because my parents spoke English to me and not Chinese). But it was a place where I could soak in Chinese culture, especially through the bustle of commerce, by seeing my parents interact with restaurateurs, coffee shop owners or grocery workers. It was cultural immersion that was untenable on Long Island, where I was raised.
My partner Eddie played a big role in forming my attachment to Chinatown as an adult—he introduced me to his favorite childhood spots and we would visit all the time to eat and shop. My childhood identity as a curious observer transformed into one that felt more secure and also stronger emotionally. I really grew into understanding why Chinatowns serve as bastions of history and culture.
It’s important to me to be involved in the Chinatown community because I want it to exist with authenticity, soul and a historical through-line for generations to come. After the pandemic and anti-Asian hate threatened Chinatown businesses and residents, I worried that my favorite restaurants and stores might shutter and that the neighborhood would change, erasing Chinese traditions and ways of life that our elders sustain just by their existence and ability to thrive. Young generations are honoring and preserving traditional Chinatown while modernizing and innovating, and that inspires me to be involved in the community.
What small business in Chinatown inspires you, and why?
Uncle Lou, because it seems to strike the perfect balance between tradition, since it serves authentic Cantonese dishes, and modern marketing, reaching a wide audience across generations and cultures. It helps put Chinatown on the map for its quality and authenticity, while using channels such as social media and press.
What’s your favorite item that you sell?
The Boba Tea Splash & Bubbles Ring is my bestseller and it serves as a constant source of excitement and connection between me and my customers. The cult status inspiration and unexpected silhouette/design seem to speak to diverse people, and I love that it’s a conversation starter that can effectively convey what I aim for in my designs: Elevated artfulness, quality, emotional connection and hidden meaning.
What’s the best way to stay in touch and support your work?
I’m most active on Instagram @sublimajewelry, and I also have a TikTok account at the same handle. My website is sublimajewelry.com and my email address is hey@sublimajewelry.com.
What are your go-to spots in Chinatown, and your must-buy items from there?
Sun Sai Gai and Big Wong: Sambo fan, or three treasure rice with BBQ pork, boiled chicken and fried egg over rice; extra ginger scallion sauce
Uncle Lou: Crispy garlic chicken and homestyle seafood stir fry
Yiwanmen: Jianbing
Mei Lai Wah: Baked roast pork buns
House of Joy: Dim sum, especially ham sui gok (fried glutinous rice dumpling)
Fong On: Tofu fa and rice cakes
Spongie’s: Sponge cake
Taipan Bakery: Portuguese style Chinese egg tarts
oo35mm: Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Watery Sun Gel
Ting’s Gift Shop: Jewelry and other tchotchkes
Grand Tea Imports: Tea, tea canisters and tea sets
If you’d like to support Sublima Jewelry, visit Kelly’s website.
