Inspiring Enji
As many of you known Enji is about modern, minimal design that is made ethically and sustainably and gives back to the community of San Diego. Enji is not like other jewelers or companies, each of our designs comes from the imagination of a single person with many pieces being a unique or one of a kind. You might have heard her story floating around in interviews, social media, or in magazines. I am not here to tell you what you already known, today we explore the inspiration behind Enji and get a behind the scenes look at the process.
Meet Niki Grandics the visionary behind Enji and its products.
Niki’s days are filled with the buzz of day to day life of running a business. Each day is different for her as she on takes multiple roles throughout the day. The only time that hum of the entrepreneurial life stops for a second is during the time she works on jewelry. It is her time to think and plan out what the next concept should look like.
One of her main inspirations for her jewelry is based on contrast. Niki’s main inspiration was not just the contrast in colors and textures, but also in life. You see, Niki grew up in between the worlds of Hungary and America. Living in both countries when she was young and still having deep roots in both, gave her a unique look at the world many might not acknowledge. In her eyes both countries were beautiful and unique in their own way, but together they were able to create such a contrast of perspectives, it helped shape who she is today.
Another big influence was Kandinsky’s artwork which consisted of odd shapes, colors and various contrasts. His thoughts on forms and perspectives captivated her imagination. The art spoke to her and helped her think of unique jewelry pieces. The contrasted beauty of raw diamonds and black tourmalines are often used in her jewelry along with linear and minimalistic inspiration of Kandinsky.
But inspiration is not always the easiest to find, as many of us know. Niki acknowledges that is it sometimes a challenge trying to come up with new design ideas. To combat this artist block she will usually tinker in her studio without a plan in mind. Sometimes her best ideas come to her by simply working with a bit of materials. Sometimes having no plan can be the best plan for her unique pieces.
However she does draw inspirations from other people such as Kym Gold, Teresa Lee, Shaun Leane, Alexander McQueen, and Todd Reed. Their lifestyles and achievements inspire Niki’s jewelry and help shape who she designs for in mind. But when all else fails, it is good to know that Niki is just like anyone else and relies on the traditional method for inspiration, the shower.
Like many of us, the only time we are truly alone with our thoughts are when we shower and let our minds wander. This is a common for many people and Niki is no exception as she sometimes gets some of her best ideas while taking a break from the world.
These are just some inspirations behind Enji’s jewelry lines. Some of Niki’s favorite pieces conceived are
Sabah Ring with stacking rings
Tourmaline slice pendant
And newly designed Antal Bracelet
