Rock Salt Vintage Crafts Nature-Inspired Jewelry

Katelin Reeser graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a bachelor’s degree in fine art photography, and while she was comfortable behind a camera, she was also interested in working with her hands. After finding inspiration in a former classmate who was selling jewelry made from found objects, Reeser began collecting vintage items herself.

She started piecing together jewelry from her finds mixed with raw stones and crystals before pivoting to completely handmade lines created from polymer clay or beads. She finally landed on metal as her medium of choice, which is reflected in the jewelry she sells today under the name Rock Salt Vintage.

“I just feel like it’s very malleable, and you can dream up almost anything with it,” Reeser says. “And I also like that it’s lasting and durable — it can be recycled and repurposed. It can be handed down and really has some longevity that other materials might not have.”

She decided to go full-time with her jewelry business in 2020, producing a line of one-of-a-kind necklaces, rings, earrings and bracelets that reflect her love for the natural world. Reeser started by hammering the pieces but eventually transitioned to joining them with a torch.“It did take a couple of years for me to feel fully confident using the torch,” she says, “just knowing how the metal will react to the flame and the strength of the flame.”



Reeser has since nailed down her style, with a website full of rustic yet elevated products for lasting wear. One of her favorite offerings was the now-sold-out Sonoran Gold Radiate Earrings made up of triangles reminiscent of guitar picks and teardrops.

“I just remember dreaming that up and thinking, ‘This is the most complicated thing I’ve ever made, and I’m not sure if anyone’s going to want it or buy it, but I really want to make it,’” she says. “And then it sold.”

Other favorites include her Cleo earrings, Portal rings and Mesa necklaces, which are accentuated by Sonoran, Carico Lake and Hubei turquoise stones. Reeser has also started using agate in her pieces, such as the Dendritic Agate Cuff bracelet, where fissures in the rock create patterns resembling branches and leaves.

“Sometimes, if there are scraps lying around, I’ll mess around with those and come up with something that I never would have thought of,” she says. “It’s fun to flow with the process.” 

For more information, visit rocksaltvintage.com.