Meet Kelly Bit of SUBLIMA Jewelry

Meet Kelly Bit of SUBLIMA Jewelry

 What inspired you to start your business?

Starting SUBLIMA stemmed from a feeling of discontent in my career. At the time, I was a financial news journalist, and while I was driven to do well, I eventually realized that I lacked the long-term drive to stay in financial journalism that I recognized in some of my peers. I saw that loving what you do unequivocally can be an endless resource and bottomless well that relentlessly drives you forward, and that’s what I wanted.
Crafting and jewelry making had never been a viable career option, but in answering the question of what makes me happy, it was an easy answer: crafting and making. That led me to invest time growing my skills in an art medium. I chose jewelry because it had commercial prospects. At that point I had been assembling jewelry for myself, and friends seemed to like my designs. So I decided to enroll in a continuing education metal smithing class at the School of Visual Arts and then wax carving at the 92nd Street Y, which is the method I use to make the pieces in my collection.
After I took wax carving classes, I knew I wanted to create a collection and brand. I set a goal to create three new pieces per semester. I left journalism in 2015, after which I pursued a full-time career in marketing, and I launched SUBLIMA in 2017.

How would you describe your target audience or ideal customer? What do you think sets your brand apart for them?

My target audience is design- and fashion-forward people who value self expression, quality over quantity, sustainability, craftsmanship and uniqueness in design. They are sophisticated, stylish and trend-conscious—yet drawn to timeless pieces, and they enjoy investing in items that reflect their personal style or that symbolize something significant.

Aesthetically, I aim to make jewelry that looks unlike anything else in the market, at once striking and timeless, with quality that lasts a lifetime. My designs are unusual and eye-catching, somewhat abstract and can be styled as edgy or classic. Executing these concepts while drawing inspiration from my Chinese American heritage and Asian culture helps set SUBLIMA even further apart from the rest. The rise in anti-Asian hate after the pandemic made me turn specifically to Asian culinary delicacies as a source of inspiration, to create symbols of cultural pride by elevating the beauty of Asian food through the art of jewelry in a highbrow way, and it’s not something that I’ve seen done by other artists.

Could you share some of the key products/styles your brand offers and what makes them unique?

I love commemorating ordinary moments of delight by capturing something of their essence through elevated and artful jewelry that I make by hand. I have many delightful memories centered around food and the people I enjoy it with, so that’s one reason why many of the pieces are Asian food inspired. I tend to notice beautiful and aesthetic aspects about food all the time—like the way milk tea splashes with movement (the Boba Tea Ring), or the mesmerizing repeating folds of dumplings (the Soup Dumpling Hoops)—so those types of details make me want to highlight how interesting they look through an unexpected art medium. The way that I make my pieces is by carving wax by hand to create wax prototypes. The prototypes are then molded, and from the molds the pieces are cast in recycled brass or sterling silver and polished and assembled by hand.

Can you describe your personal connection to the brand and how it reflects your values and passions?

I enjoy creating products that help reinforce the emotional connection to identity and culture. The way that I’ve been doing that with SUBLIMA is a two-pronged approach: first through visual representation, and more meaningfully, I’ve pursued partnerships with local nonprofits serving the Asian American and Chinatown communities in New York. Since 2020, SUBLIMA has donated more than $90,000 to nonprofits supporting NYC's Chinatowns, after-school programming, affordable housing and food security. I want the jewelry to represent not only high art but humanism and community impact.

What are some of the prominent sustainability initiatives or practices that you prioritize during your production process?

The casting company I work with, which is based in midtown Manhattan and family run, uses a New York-based company called United Precious Metals to recycle their metal and for purchasing refined recycled metal to use in new castings. In choosing to partner with my casting company, their ability to source recycled metals was important, and I love how I’ve been able to offer sustainable jewelry since day one. It’s important to me because using recycled metals compared to newly mined metals reduces greenhouse gas emissions and conserves natural resources. And I’m thrilled with the quality of the pieces—the recycled brass and sterling silver are both beautiful bright colors, and I provide a polishing cloth to keep the pieces shiny forever since none of the casted pieces are plated.

Back to blog