Sung-Ran Kim

Sung-Ran Kim, a Korean artist and jewelry designer, is most notable for her jewelry designs executed through a process known as electroforming. Kim pioneered her use of electroforming while studying under mentor and fellow jewelry maker, Chunghi Choo at the University of Iowa. She uses electroforming, a process of layering metals to each other to create objects in irregular or delicate shapes specific to this process. Choo and Kim developed this method to open up the art of jewelry making to more complex, unique designs. Holding two MFA’s in Metalsmithing and Jewelry Design—one from Hongik University in Korea and the other from the University of Iowa’s Metal Arts Department in the Department of Art and Art History—Kim has made a name for herself as a contemporary and innovative jewelry designer, introducing new and exciting techniques to the field. She has authored three books on the subject of electrofoming, which are meant to be guides for other jewelry makers hoping to work in the same medium. Many of Kim’s designs can be found in museums and private collections around the world—one of her bracelets has been acquired by the Museum of Art and Design in New York. Additionally, Kim has exhibited her collections at various venues and has been teaching Metalsmithing and Jewelry Making at the university level in Korea since the late 1990s.