From childhood paper sculptures to hand-carved wax molds, former journalist-turned-designer Kelly Bit puts storytelling, culture, and community at the heart of every piece.
Before founding SUBLIMA, Kelly Bit spent eight years as a financial journalist at Bloomberg News, covering fast-paced markets and global economic shifts. But long before she sat at a newsroom desk, she was a child who loved crafting. She recreated petit fours out of cardboard and scotch tape and spent hours stringing beads into jewelry. After graduating from Yale with a degree in English, Kelly chose a practical path and turned her passion for writing into a full-time career. Still, something was missing. She missed working with her hands, missed creating for the sake of beauty and personal meaning. Eventually, she signed up for evening classes in metalsmithing and wax carving, rediscovering a sense of purpose through making. In 2017, she launched SUBLIMA, a handmade jewelry line rooted in symbolism. Each piece is carved in wax by hand, then cast in recycled brass or sterling silver. The brand’s name refers to subliminal messages and the invisible feelings that shape how we relate to the world. Drawing from her Chinese American heritage, Kelly creates jewelry that transforms fleeting experiences into lasting objects. Her pieces are made to carry emotion, spark memory, and offer a personal language of self-expression.
Flanelle had the opportunity to speak with Kelly about the evolution of SUBLIMA, her creative process, and how storytelling continues to shape the heart of her work.
Flanelle: You started crafting jewellery at an early age using basic beading techniques. Where does this interest come from in the first place?
I’ve always loved crafting. I’m an only child, and when I was very young, I spent a lot of my time drawing or creating models of things that I found delightful. One example of a project I did was create dessert petit fours out of cardboard, markers and paper. I even made the berries by stuffing paper and using scotch tape. I’ve always been captivated by beautiful forms in our every day (my love affair with food started young!) and I’m a bit obsessed with creating artful homages to them, because it allows me to enjoy fleeting moments more permanently.
Even though you loved crafting jewellery, you studied English at Yale and started your journalist career writing at Bloomberg News during eight years. What made you decide to go back to your former creative activity later on?
When I was younger, journalism was the closest thing I could imagine making a career of, because in school, English and writing were my favorite subjects. Pursuing my artistic inclinations as a career never seemed like an option during my student years (probably a function of normative societal expectations, the schools I attended and my family upbringing). I liked journalism enough as a career but after almost a decade doing it, I felt I lacked an innate motivation and drive that I saw in others and craved.
I started spending my free time crafting—drawing, painting, sewing and jewelry making. I wanted to invest in one of these hobbies in a more disciplined way. I saw jewelry as having commercial prospects, and friends really liked the things I made using simple beading techniques. I enrolled in classes in metal smithing and wax carving after work, and that’s what gave me the confidence to start a jewelry brand.
Although you had experience with jewellery making in the past, you went on learning more technical skills to create your collection. Could you drive us through the process of making your pieces?
I hand make the pieces by carving wax to create the prototypes. The process of wax carving for jewelry is kind of like sculpture making, but on a very small scale. To transform my designs into wax, I start with a wax block, and from there I measure an approximate shape that can accommodate the size and details of the piece. Then, I use a wax saw blade to cut out the rough shape and start refining it using wax files. Once the base shape is close to the final form, I work on detailing and texture using files, burrs and drills with my electric flex shaft, and an electric hot wax pen. I also measure for thickness so the pieces aren’t unnecessarily heavy. The wax models are then molded, and from the molds they’re casted into metal pieces, and I use recycled brass and sterling silver. The castings are polished and assembled by hand.
Through your label SUBLIMA, you are transforming concepts into tangible objects. What are the visions and inspirations behind your brand?
The inspiration is diverse, but many of the pieces are inspired by Asian American culture. When I first started SUBLIMA in 2017, my designs were based on captivating shapes and silhouettes; much of the jewelry started as aesthetic details that I would design whole pieces around. During the pandemic, anti-Asian sentiment rose in public consciousness, and that, in combination with decreasing foot traffic to NYC’s Chinatown businesses, inspired me to create pieces in celebration of Asian heritage and Asian American culture.
Food is very much an extension of love in Chinese culture (I’m third-generation Chinese American). A lot of the pieces draw inspiration from culinary delicacies, elevating the beauty of Asian food through the unexpected art medium of jewelry in abstract ways.
The name SUBLIMA is based on the idea of subliminal messages leading to hidden feelings. What sensations/reactions do you want to share through your jewels?
I love the quiet power of jewelry—how it can carry so much personal meaning. I like the idea of the pieces evoking different memories or feelings for people based on their unique experiences. I love the idea of people feeling a connection to their jewelry, whether it’s a reminder of a certain dish, loved one, or a moment of beauty.
Above the slow-making dimension of your handmade pieces, you are also exploring a sustainable approach to jewels. How do you put this principle into practice? And why is this important to you?
All of my pieces are made using recycled metals and they’re made in order to reduce waste. They’re made to last a lifetime; all of the casted pieces are 100% of the metal—I don’t use plating and provide a polishing cloth with each piece that helps customers upkeep the pieces’ original shine. I love the idea of objects that carry stories over time, and I want to create pieces that feel just as enduring.
Along with your approach around sustainability, you also put a priority to community and social justice. In 2020, you donated to five Chinatown organizations. What was your goal while supporting these non-profit causes?
In 2020, during the pandemic, it felt impossible to separate the work I was doing from what was happening in my community—anti-Asian hate and reduced foot traffic. As someone who spent a lot of time in NYC’s Chinatown and whose family has deep roots in the neighborhood, my goal was to channel whatever visibility or resources I had to support organizations that were doing the groundwork—whether it was support for small businesses, affordable housing, after-school programming or accessible healthcare.
The same year you also gave all your June proceeds to the Equal Justice Initiative. As a creative, do you think it is part of your role to be able to redistribute and help underserved communities?
I’ve liked that SUBLIMA has made me realize that art doesn’t have to exist in a vacuum. Supporting causes like the Equal Justice Initiative felt like a small but necessary action in a moment when many of us were reckoning with injustice. I like how my creative work is part of and shaped by the communities around it, which is why giving back has been at the heart of SUBLIMA for so long.
Since the beginning, you seem to have a clear vision of the purposes of SUBLIMA. How do you see it evolve in the future?
I think SUBLIMA will always be rooted in striking designs, craftsmanship, storytelling and community—but I’m excited to keep evolving how I express those things by drawing from new sources of inspiration, collaborating with more organizations and people, being part of and even creating events where I can meet people and build connections and working with more cultural gatekeepers, such as editors or stylists.
Photographer: @mariasmithvisuals
Stylist: @madissunnyy
Model: @kjsmyname
Jewelry: @sublimajewelry
Fashion: Gray corset top, orange skirt and black skirt by Abel Martirosyan @notyourcouture
Green tunic and black over-layer by Ruth Donagher @ruthdonagher
Bow neck piece by Karen Mibu @jourkt_31
Tan under-layer and black pants by Shangli Dunde @shanglidunde
Blue body suit and scarf and black pants by Helena Magdalena @helenamagdalenadesign