In 2015, the home of Jennie Yoon's parents was robbed, and much of their jewelry was taken. She was working at a global tech accessories brand at the time. She gathered every photo she could of the lost pieces and went to the Los Angeles jewelry district, hoping someone could re-create at least some of her mother's jewelry. Two years later, in 2017, that errand had become Kinn.

 

I like that origin because you can feel it in the work. Kinn Studio jewelry is built around the idea of an heirloom: Yoon describes the brand as inspired by vintage family heirlooms, with each piece made from recycled 14-karat solid gold and made to last a lifetime. The about page calls jewelry a second skin, something you never take off. That is a very different brief from a drawer of pretty things for a party. I went deeper on a related idea in Gold-Filled, Vermeil, or Solid: What Jewelry Prices Actually Mean.

 

The pendants are where that idea gets personal, so I would begin there. The Maison Heart Locket is a small polished gold heart on a fine micro rolo chain, and it opens to hold a photo, which feels like the whole brand in one object. The Maison Oval Locket adds a star-set diamond to a smooth oval. The Crescent Dream and Butterfly Dream pendants are oval gold medallions with a twisted rope border, one with a sculpted moon among stars and clouds, the other with a butterfly, and the Butterfly can be engraved on the reverse. The North Star carries a single star-set diamond, and the Saint Christopher is a round medallion engraved Protect Us.

 

In my fashion dreams, it is a gray October morning and she is walking to work in a charcoal turtleneck with the Crescent Dream resting on the knit. Tip: choose the chain length before the pendant, so the medallion lands where your neckline actually sits.

Yoon's own advice for starting a fine jewelry collection is to begin with a simple gold chain you never have to take off. I would take that literally and treat this group as the base layer of everything else.

 

The Carter Herringbone is flat and mirror-bright, a chain that lies against the skin like a ribbon. Herringbone chains trace back to Ancient Egypt, and the Carter is the one Yoon names as a piece built to stack with her favorite ring. The Capri Curb is the chunky one, with flat interlocking links that read as a statement over a white shirt. The Heirloom Curved Chain sits right along the neckline, so it works alone or layered.

 

For the finer end, the Micro Rolo Link Chain runs from 14 to 24 inches, the Micro Mariner is dainty with symmetrical oval links, and the Kyle Figaro alternates link sizes in a classic rhythm. The Paperclip Link is bolder, with semi-hollow links and a lobster clasp, and the Rope Chain is solid and non-hollow with a textured twist.

 

Picture her in a camel overcoat with the collar turned up, a thin Micro Rolo under it and the Carter showing at the open neck. Test any chain by lifting it from the clasp and watching how the links fall: they should move without kinking. Check the clasp opens easily with one hand.

 

What I would skip: stacking the Capri Curb with another heavy chain at the same length, since the links will just collide.

Yoon's second suggestion after a chain is a small pair of gold hoops or huggies, and I would follow it. This is the group that works with a ponytail, a turtleneck and a wool coat all in the same week.

 

The Classic Huggie and the Petite Huggie are polished solid gold with a snap hinge, the Petite being the smaller of the two, and it can be bought as a pair or a single. The Pave Huggie adds a row of tiny diamonds, nine per earring, and the Marina Pearl Huggie Hoop sets pearls along the front. For hoops, the Classic Hoop Small is a high-polish 4mm band, the Lightweight Medium is thin and light at 0.4g per earring, and the Bold Hoop Small is chunky and hollow at 6.5mm thick. The Petite Taylor Twist has a sculpted rope texture rooted in Italian goldsmithing. If you want to keep going, Anita Ko Jewelry: 18-Karat Gold and Diamond Hoops is the one I would read next.

 

In my fashion dreams, she has her hair pinned up for an early flight, in a gray cashmere crew with the Classic Huggie catching the airport light. For a dinner, the Pave Huggie would do the work with nothing else added.

 

Before choosing, hold the hoop up to your jaw and check the diameter against your face. Close the hinge and listen for a clean click. What I would skip: the Bold Hoop with a high collar or a big scarf, where it will tangle.

A stud is the earring you forget you are wearing, which is exactly the point of the Micro Bar. It is a tiny straight gold bar, sold single or as a pair, and it is the quietest thing in this edit.

 

The Pearl Stud uses 3.5mm Japanese Akoya cultured pearls on gold posts, and solid 14k gold backings come with it. The Olivia Round Diamond studs sit in gold prong settings. The Naomi is a baguette cut, and the June is an emerald cut in a minimalist prong setting, lab-created diamonds in yellow or white gold. The Crawler climbs the ear with four graduated round diamonds, and the Triple Marquise reimagines that crawler with three marquise diamonds in a row. The Shell Stud is polished gold and playful, sold as a pair.

 

I would build an ear in odd numbers: a Micro Bar in the lobe, a Crawler above it, and nothing else. Picture her in a black wool blazer over a white tee, hair behind her ears, one small glint at each side.

 

Test the backing before you commit. A good stud back should hold the earring snug against the ear without pinching. What I would skip: pairing a pearl stud with a heavy pearl necklace, which turns the whole look into a set.

Yoon says Kinn is meant to be worn through the life that happens around it, and the wrist and hand are where that shows first. These pieces are also the easiest way to start a stack, because most are plain solid gold.

 

The Paperclip Link Chain Bracelet and the Kyle Figaro Chain Bracelet are the sturdy ones, the Kyle slim at 2mm. The Micro Mariner Bracelet is only 1mm wide and 0.7g, a thread of gold. The Rope Chain Bracelet is twisted and non-hollow. The Heritage ID Bracelet has a plate that can be engraved with letters or characters, which is the closest thing to the heirloom brief on the wrist.

 

For the hand, the Classic Signet is a polished oval with optional letter engraving, and the Pearl Signet sets a 5mm Akoya pearl into gold. The Barely There Stacking Ring is a soft-edged band, 1.15mm thick, that sits easily next to anything. Yoon's own first-piece pick is the Dare to Love dome ring, which is not in this group, so I would use the Barely There in its place and build around it.

 

Picture her signing a holiday card at the kitchen table in a cream sweater, with the Heritage ID on one wrist and the Signet turned toward the pen. Test any bracelet by checking that the clasp does not catch on a sleeve cuff. What I would skip: more than two chain bracelets on one wrist, because the clasps will fight.

I would start where Yoon starts: with one chain you never take off, then a pair of small huggies, then the stud that disappears into the ear. After that, a pendant that means something to you, such as the Maison Heart Locket with a photo inside.

 

Engrave the Heritage ID or the Classic Signet if you can. A letter is the simplest way to turn a solid gold piece into something that belongs to one person.

 

A robbery in 2015 sent a woman to the Los Angeles jewelry district with a folder of photographs. I would end my own collection the same way, with one piece that comes with a story.