Meet Kim and Nicole Carosella, the duo behind this brand’s fearless blend of modern and vintage, masculine and feminine.
It was 2012 when sisters Kim and Nicole Carosella launched their first collection under their Sorellina label, but their affinity for jewelry started long before that. “Our fascination began when we were both colicky babies who could only be lulled to sleep by our mother dangling her sparkly jewelry in front of us,” recalls Kim.
The sisters’ risk-taking approach to creating bold and fashionable yet classic everyday pieces has led to an international following that continues to grow with each collection. In the beginning, their designs evoked the symbolism and silhouettes of Victorian jewelry, in particular snake-and-serpent motifs. “The Sorellina inspiration was and still is timeless, antique jewelry,” says Kim. “It’s important to us that we honor the techniques of the past, while bringing in a fresh perspective so that our jewelry transcends time. We always aim to design pieces that women are inspired to purchase for themselves.” As the brand grew, the sisters’ influences expanded to include the mysticism of Tarot cards and the shapes of the Art Deco period, but they have always infused their creations with their distinctive style, and the credo that “wearing jewelry is surrounding yourself with a bit of magic every day,” says Nicole.
Here, the millennial siblings discuss how they grew up with their collection, what it’s like to work together and what it takes to continuously cultivate and develop their brand.
What has been the biggest change in the collection since launching Sorellina?
Kim: “We have grown tremendously since launching Sorellina nearly a decade ago. We continue to sell some of our most popular original gold and diamond pieces, but we now explore much more color with inlaid gemstones. We continue to push the boundaries of stone-cut jewelry, and it has become a hallmark of the brand.”
Nicole: “We have also added more symbolic and sentimental motifs, to offer a personalized experience to our clients. The customizable options remain best sellers, and we recently expanded our style offering to include lockets in the Lock & Key collection. These are fun pieces that require a separate key in order to open the locket.”
What are your most iconic creations?
Nicole: “Our signet rings, necklaces, and bracelets are the most recognizable. Each is set with an opaque stone and then we add meaningful motifs, such as a heart with an arrow, crescent moon and star, hummingbird and a variety of other symbols. Our customers can choose their stones and motifs. The idea of personal talismans has been fundamental to the Sorellina brand. There’s something incredibly special about owning a piece of jewelry you’ve helped to design yourself.”
What is your most successful collection to date?
Nicole: “Tarot has been the biggest undertaking, and the biggest success. The hero pendants are small pieces of art. Each starts as a painting that we translate into jewelry. It takes a team of skilled craftsmen nearly 90 hours to complete each piece. We spent more than a year perfecting the pendants before introducing them in the fall of 2020. We’ve been incredibly fortunate and grateful that ongoing retailer accounts and new ones have supported the launch, and continue to do so as we expand upon Tarot.”
What are the latest collections revolving around Tarot?
Kim: “Our newest is based around the Lovers card in a tarot deck. This card celebrates the intimate relationships we have with loved ones throughout our lives. I chose to interpret this piece with two peacocks, rather than the traditional male and female, as a subtle play on gender and tradition. Nicole and I wanted this collection to represent broad, all-encompassing love — for your family, friends, a partner, job, hobby, pet and so forth — rather than just the romantic definition. Our pendant has been reinterpreted to represent a magical talisman to express your deepest emotions as authentically as possible.”
Can you tell us something about your process in creating collections?
Kim: “It depends entirely on the piece of jewelry. Everything begins with a detailed, hand-rendered sketch by Nicole. Then we review it together for cohesiveness, aesthetic value and price point. We source from a variety of both local and international jewelers and stone vendors whose quality standards we have vetted over the past decade. Our chain is sourced in Italy — one of our international manufacturers is all-female run — and we choose stones that are as traceable as possible, including emeralds from Muzo, Colombia. Nicole is in the New York diamond district nearly every day, hand picking stones and dropping pieces at our setters and polishers.”
How would you describe the special dynamic of the Carosella sisters working together?
Kim: “Nicole and I balance each other out. She focuses on design, private client projects, stone sourcing and overall product development. I manage the operations and wholesale business. She’s more extroverted, and cherishes the relationships she has with clients, vendors and jewelers. I thrive on organization, and I am more efficient behind a computer, or perfecting memos and excel sheets.”
What are your favorite pieces from the collection?
Kim: “Our Pietra studs are the most accessible. They’re great investments, made of 18-karat gold with hand-cut gemstones and diamonds.
Nicole: “My favorites run the gamut from the Monroe crescent hoops and guitar pick earrings to our new beaded necklaces, Tarot card pendants and signet rings, and essentially any of our pieces that feature beautiful, hand-cut stones. These pieces require highly skilled stone-carving artisans that specialize in cutting one-of-a-kind shapes from stones like turquoise, malachite and lapis. We dedicate ourselves to using only natural materials, including 18-karat gold, precious gems and semi-precious stones, rather than resorting to alternative techniques like enamel.”
Main image: Kim and Nicole Carosella. Photo: Sorellina.
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