About
Carolina Iwanow Fine jewelry Collections are made to inspire and empower.
Love, Alchemy, Magic, Music, Spirituality, Meaning, Talismans, Tales, Symbols, Mother Nature, The Mineral Kingdom, Arquitecture, Ancient Cultures, Story Telling, Memories, Sacred Geometry, Fashion, Arts, Philosophy, Science , Science Fiction, Positivity and Humor are her forever inspirations. One of her goals in life is keeping this incredible ancient craft of metalsmithing alive, honoring our Metalsmith Ancestors she crafts everything herself by hand. In this past 32 extensive years of career Carolina has been exploring as many techniques as she could to create her exquisite jewelry. Her work is eclectic, powerful and meaningful. She feels honored knowing that her pieces will live as eternal heirlooms that will be pass from generation to generation.
Bio
Carolina Gonzalez Iwanow is an internationally recognized jewelry artist, Master Goldsmith, educator, curator, designer, musician, photografer, art director and founder of NYC Jewelry Lab in Brooklyn, New York. For more than thirty-five years, she has dedicated her life to preserving, advancing, and sharing the ancient art of metalsmithing through fine jewelry, sculpture, education, and artistic collaboration.
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, into a family of artists and musicians, Carolina grew up surrounded by creativity. From an early age she was fascinated by art, music, architecture, photography, science, and design, but it was her grandmother's remarkable collection of antique jewelry that forever changed her life. She became captivated by the mystery of how precious metals could be transformed into objects of such beauty and meaning—a fascination that continues to inspire her work today.
While studying Fashion and Textile Design in Buenos Aires, Carolina immersed herself in every artistic discipline she could explore, from photography and sculpture to music, printmaking, and art history. In 1991, at just nineteen years old, she studied contemporary jewelry with master jeweler Jorge Castañón before opening her own jewelry studio, where she began working exclusively by hand with fire, precious metals, and traditional techniques.
Her artistic journey continued under the mentorship of Master Jeweler Jorge Pablo Pallarols, an eighth-generation member of Argentina's legendary family of silversmiths whose craftsmanship dates back to 1780. Through this experience, Carolina developed a profound appreciation for historical goldsmithing traditions and the responsibility of preserving techniques that have been passed from master to apprentice for centuries.
Throughout her career, Carolina has designed and manufactured fine jewelry and luxury fashion collections for internationally recognized brands, including Guess?, Marciano, Bebe, Maria Cher, Jazmín Chebar, Ayres, Trosman, Churba, and many others. She also served as jewelry designer and consultant for the Eva Mendes Collection and has created custom works for Disney, MTV, Nike, Apple iPod, Absolut Vodka, General Motors, Casa FOA, and private collectors.
Her artwork has been exhibited in galleries and museums across Europe and the Americas, including London, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, New York City, and the Museum of Fine Arts of Salta, Argentina. Her work has also been featured in international publications such as Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire, Nylon, and Rolling Stone.
Teaching has always been at the heart of Carolina's practice. Since 1998, she has mentored hundreds of jewelry artists, designers, and metalsmiths, first in Argentina and later in New York City. In 2014, she founded NYC Jewelry Lab, a professional metalsmithing studio where traditional craftsmanship meets contemporary design. Her signature program, The Art of Metalsmithing, has been recognized by Time Out New York among the city's leading jewelry-making experiences.
Since 2018, Carolina has conceived, directed, and curated the annual NYC Jewelry Lab Collective Art Jewelry Exhibition during NYC Jewelry Week, creating a platform that celebrates craftsmanship, innovation, and contemporary jewelry as an art form while supporting both emerging and established artists.
Her expertise in historical metalsmithing has also been recognized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which invited her to present a live master class at The Cloisters, demonstrating authentic medieval metalsmithing techniques inspired by centuries of European craftsmanship.
Beyond the studio, Carolina continues to explore music, photography, sculpture, painting, and multidisciplinary artistic expression. She believes that creativity has no boundaries and that every artistic language enriches the others.
For Carolina, metalsmithing is far more than a profession—it is a living cultural heritage. Every piece she creates and every student she teaches is part of a tradition that has shaped civilizations for more than eight thousand years. Through her work, she is committed to preserving that legacy while inspiring a new generation of artists to carry the flame forward.