My Name is…

Catarina Micole Berg

Who I am is in every artistic expression of mine. Where I live & have traveled have deeply influenced my passions & my art. My work is a reflection of the beauty I perceive in nature, its simplicity, delicacy, rawness, texture, complexity, how it captivates me. I fell in love with the process of art, rather than the skill or result. Feeling the soul of each one-of-a-kind piece, understanding & discovering the evolution.

I was born & raised in Utah. The mountains are my guardians, the vibrant sunsets are my pallet, the ever changing seasons influence my soul’s drive & the constant evolution of my being. The synchronized & steady course of nature in life out west reflect on my heart & teach me how to slow down, appreciate & honor all the beauty this life has to offer. I find beauty, purpose & myself through this slow scrupulous attention to detail.

Self discovery through traveling & immersing myself in other cultures, has given me a devout purpose to create. I love jewelry because it can serve as an emblem of so many qualities that people & civilizations have been tied to since antiquity. Through all the traditional skills of these cultural artifacts, I fell in love with the ancient craft of art & jewelry making.

Behind the name…

This is my beautiful grandmother, Petronella Christina Kleynjan, born in 1943, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. She moved to Indonesia when she was 5-8yrs then to Holland until she was 13yrs. She first stepped foot in New York in 1957 and rode a train for 3 days to make her way to California. She met my grandpa in high school and together they raised 3 boys and have been in love ever since.

I keep my family and ancestors close to my heart. I’m infatuated and very intrigued with the way they lived and the trials they faced to impact who they were and where they traveled. I’m honored to keep their memory alive through my artistic expressions and my passions. I believe it’s important to pass down these stories to discover who I am, what my path is and to help influence others. In my work, I carry their spirits with me and strive to embody their styles and traditions of the Scandinavian / Viking descendant heritage.

When I discovered my love and passion for jewelry and art I couldn’t think of a better way to express my love and honor for the craft and the opportunity to freely create than naming Petranella Jewelry after my grandmother. To honor my family’s sacrifices that nurture who I am today.

PETRA

a feminine form of Peter, which is derived from the Greek word “πέτρα” pronounced [petra] meaning “stone, rock”.

NELLA

Origin : Latin meaning : horn.

As far back as man can be traced, he has had an emotional esteem for horned animals. Cave paintings indicate the intensity of ancient hunters’ feeling toward deer, bison, aurochs, rams and oxen. The nomad and farmer cherished his goats, cattle and oxen. honored gods usually represent warriors and lords of animals. Moses, receiving the Tablets of the Law on Mt. Sinai, was pictured by Michaelangelo with horns on his head. The Mesopotamians, the Etruscans, the Vikings – even those hefty Valkyrien maidens of Wagner’s wore them. Scandinavian coats of arms bore horns and horned figures, and family names were often equivalent of Ox, Deer, Doe, Buck or Horn.

My meaning for naming my jewelry brand Petranella, is to have a protective piece you carry with you as it carries and guides your energy. The horns of an animal are the power and dignity of the divinity, I believe that their strength is concentrated in their horns. In addition to physical strength and generative power, horns symbolized mental and spiritual strength as well.

Inspired by Nature

I’ve never felt closer to nature & life than while I am in the process of creation. What beautiful, unpredictable moments of chaos you feel while creating. I feel as one with our divine creator by being a creator myself. From the earth I gather materials, through fire I combine elements, with water I scorch them in place. Creating a lasting, one of a kind piece from my heart & soul to illuminate an authentic & individual soul.

There is something about lapidary that completely captivates me. When I first held a stone up to the spinning wheels and could see the mirrored reflection on the wet surface of the rotating grit. The resonating sound with the vibration I could feel at my finger tips. I could shape this production of the earth into anything I could imagine. Colors surfacing as I grind away, patterns forming before my eyes! It’s the best surprise slicing into the mass of a rock and exposing what’s inside!