I started making jewelry when I was 8 years old. I sold my jewelry in front of a small bookstore in the Roosevelt neighborhood of Seattle, WA. I love learning new ways to express my creativity and have been successful at dabbling in many other art forms. What I love about making leather jewelry is that the design possibilities feel limitless and that I am using materials that would have otherwise been disregarded.

I named my jewelry after my mother’s family’s last name, LaBerge. My grandmother, on my mother’s side, was an artist and inspired much of my creativity. I could have been a Jacqueline, but my name is actually Jaki. Now it’s my alter ego and design name. I am from Seattle, Washington, where I live with my husband and daughter. In 2018, we lost our son shortly after birth. I started making jewelry again after he passed and have found the practice of making art as a helpful tool to carry me through my grief.

Since our loss, I opened The Creativity Loft (The Loft), a community space for artistic expression and healing in North City (Shoreline, WA). Now I am selling my Pacific Northwest inspired jewelry online, at The Creativity Loft and in pop-up shops. My son has taught me just how precious life is and my time to do what I love is now.