Jewelry Designer Gillian Trask Plays with Fire
Jewelry designer Gillian Karatassos plays with fire. Heating silver and gold to their melting points, she uses the metals and fire to create unique jewelry designs. Her Bull Street studio and showroom reflect her unconventional and artistic personality, with creations utilizing wild elements of organic and natural forms. With each handcrafted piece, Gillian harnesses her own raw emotion and connection to something primordial to create timeless and expressive adornments for both men and women.
Gillian has been creating unique jewelry pieces since 2010, but she feels that her art comes from a place of old, and to be an artist- especially to work with molten metal—taps into that collective unconsciousness. Her pieces reflect this belief: While some pieces are simple and elegant, others are sculptural and natural. All are intended to capture something bigger than herself, which is a philosophy Gillian holds about her guests too. “My designs are meant to bring out your inner power and celebrate your uniqueness.” Pieces are spectacularly shiny no matter the finish, but almost always look molten as if scooped straight from the center of the earth and sometimes topped with sparkling cut gems.
A lifelong creative, it wasn’t until she began working on her MFA from the Savannah College of Art & Design that Gillian realized her love for creating statement and custom jewelry designs. Gillian’s melting process all came from the moment she accidentally melted her thesis piece, and it was at that moment that she found her love of melting metal and playing with fire. Gillian Trask’s pieces have been exhibited two years in a row at the prestigious Milano Jewelry Week as well as at London Accessory Week, a milestone for the maker, demonstrating the artistry of her creations. Gillian Trask’s designs have also been featured in both national and international publications, and a ring design was honored at the International Design Awards. The Bull Street showroom opened in 2023, creating a home for all this creativity.
An important part of the business for Gillian is the give-back: holding foster and adopted children close to her heart, Gillian Trask supports Savannah’s Brightside/ CASA, court-appointed special advocates for children, with a portion of each sale. Just as many of Gillian’s designs include circle and ring motifs, connectedness and community empowerment are a key element in the business. Gillian feels empowered when she sculpts and molds raw materials into form and wants those who wear her creations to feel empowered when they put them on, too.
Gillian Trask’s pieces are available through her alma mater SCAD’s ShopSCAD, at Rachel Vogel Designs on Tybee Island, at gilliantrask.com, or in the Gillian Trask Showroom at 248 Bull Street. Open Tuesday-Friday 11a-4p, Saturday 11a-5p, Sunday 12p-4p, and closed on Monday.
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