RTJ teamed up with Camille Peace of Peace Images Jewelry (and better half of Trackstar the DJ) on a new Stay Gold line of fine jewelry.
An ode to the iconic hands featured on RTJ4, the classic pistol & fist are recreated as petite mismatched studs in a 14k gold plate over brass. Check em out HERE.
We asked Camille for some background on the project, and here's what she had to say.
Tell us a little about yourself and your journey into the world of crafting artisanal jewelry.
My journey began in 2008. While working at a safehouse for women, I began crafting jewelry during the slow times—mostly pieces I wanted to wear, but could never find. A good friend suggested I start selling on etsy, so I listed my first piece, a pair of feather earrings. They sold within 48 hours! And my husband gave me the best advice anyone had ever given me: keep going. And I did. 16 years later, I'm still blessed with the opportunity to do what I love, continue to learn and grow in my craft. I am challenged everyday by this work and I'm really lucky to set such an example for my daughter.
What makes a design beautiful to you?
What makes a design beautiful to me is what went into the creation of it. What inspired it? How do you want it to make the wearer feel? Do you see the piece outlasting you? Being passed down through generations?
Folks may not know you’re also the better half of RTJ’s main man Trackstar the DJ. Who gets the credit for making this idea happen? :)
This is just another one of our many amazing collaborations together. It's what we do! I used to help him with his mixtapes back in the day, I helped design one of the tees featured in his shop, he's helped me with everything from designing biz cards back in the day, doing some of the digital work needed to bring a piece from my head to my hands, all the way down to helping me set up for shows. Working together on our passions is just what we’ve always done. I had the idea for an RTJ jewelry line wayyy back during their first Coachella performance. The iconic fist and pistol needed to be immortalized in jewelry form, and I needed them in my ears! Gabe (Trackstar) connected the dots and helped me find the 3D designer who brought the vision to life (what up Drew Tetz!).
What was your biggest challenge in putting the concept together?Patience. I've been wanting a pair of pistol/fist studs for a decade—but nothing before its time, right? Also, finding the right 3D designer to work with to bring the design to life. It's one thing to visualize, quite another to bring it from your brain into your hands. I sketch, and work with metals (melting, forming, soldering). Three dimensional design? Not so much lol. It truly takes a village!
Does music play any type of role in your creative process?
Music plays a huge part in my life, and absolutely informs my creative process. It's always been that way. Music is constantly playing in my studio when I'm creating, and when it's time to photograph the pieces I make (I was a photographer before I started making jewelry), music plays a central role in the inspiration for photos and the energy behind the images.
Do you have a favorite RTJ song?
It's a tie between “A Few Words for the Firing Squad” and "Angel Duster." Both El and Mike showed the fuck out and both songs really make you understand why those two are so magical together. If I had to play an RTJ song for someone who's never heard of them, it would definitely be one of those two.
Rumor has it you may be working on some more RTJ-themed designs. How excited should we be?
You should be extremely excited. We've already got the RTJ hats, the shirts, the pants, the dresses, the posters, the lunch boxes, the hot wheels, the action figures… and now the jewelry, which we are just getting started on. There’s so much more wearable RTJ to come...perhaps in the future someone will get married wearing a Run The Jewels wedding ring? But I dream.