Meet Kmercht — Conceptual Jewellery with an Edge.
Kristina Merchant, originally from Perth, now creates in her hometown after exciting years in Glasgow. With a range of life experiences—from bartending to customer service—Kristina has a finely tuned awareness of everyday culture, and it shows in her art
Her journey began with formal art studies at Perth College in 2013 and continued at the prestigious Glasgow School of Art (graduated 2022), where she sharpened her voice through interdisciplinary creative learning. Recently, Kristina gained a wealth of knowledge from exhibiting at Goldsmiths’ Fair, deepening her understanding of the business side of Kmercht. With fresh insight and inspiration, she’s excited to take the leap into new creative and professional ventures. Kristina’s early experiments with land art—especially a 2017 residency on the Isle of Skye—sparked a fascination with ephemeral sculpture made from found, discarded materials that naturally reintegrate with the environment.Concept, Craft & Consciousness
In 2025 collections, Kristina embarks on a material-driven exploration, gathering amber and turning it into hand-carved jewellery pieces that reimagine everyday refuse as wearable treasure. Her signature technique creates cigarette filters, bottle caps, and turns them into brooches and earrings—crafted from amber, oxidised silver, gold via Keum-boo.
Each piece is both unique and refined: smokey cigarette-filter brooches, playful bottle-cap badges, or bespoke pieces that invite personalisation with favourite phrases.
“Jewellery That Litters the Body: Kristina Merchant’s Challenging SCOUR Collection”
Why Collect Kristina’s Work?
Sustainably Minded Artifacts: Embedded with narratives of reuse and transformation
Material Storytelling: Each creation embodies conceptual depth and physical craftsmanship
Bespoke Experiences: Custom commissions welcome—you choose the phrase, she designs the story
From your living space to your jewellery box, each piece holds memory, humour, and a challenge to cultural norms of what is considered valuable.
Featured at Goldsmiths’ Fair, 2024
Kristina gained valuable insights into the world of fine art and jewellery commerce through exhibiting at the prestigious Goldsmiths’ Fair. With that experience, she's now evolving her brand into new projects and creative directions
Kristina Merchant at Goldsmiths’ Fair 2024. Photo: Paul Read.
Banner photo: Bottle cap brooch by Kristina Merchant
Memory of the Roots, 2024
“Kristina Merchant invited us to meet her family through an evocative and affecting collection inspired by discarded bottle-tops and Nana Irene McKenzie’s half-smoked cigarettes. It is a painfully beautiful set of works - crafted in gold and Baltic amber it pulls you into the closeness and love of family and old Scottish communities.”— Dr Gus Casely-Hayford OBE, Director of @vam_east.
Let's ConnectCurious about a collection or commission? Want to learn how found amber becomes wearable art?
Message Kristina anytime “What can I get ye?” as Irene would say.