Arielle de Pinto

Interview by Lizzie Lloyd

Arielle is the Toronto-born artist behind the jewellery label Arielle de Pinto.
We visited her in Ojai, where she was fresh from her move from the East Coast.
Her studio was not quite set up yet, but we were able to capture her in the breathtaking landscape surrounding her home.

When the world is in turmoil, how do you find solace? 

There is always some form of turmoil in the world, so I have made it a point to be able to live in solace.
I spent the past 10 years committed to spiritual and psychological work, and that eventually re-directed me to become very focused on the physical foundation of nutrition, which supports a physical structure of tenacity and an increased ability to move with life.

Life continues to bring challenges, I keep thinking “this year required endurance, but when “X” is done then life will be easier, but it has not been the case at all, so my metric has been to witness my responses to constriction in life and those reactions are just so much different after being tested so many times. And sometimes they’re the same as before but that’s ok too, what matters to me is sincerity. You really don’t know how far you’ve come until you’re tested.  

What does inspiration mean to you? Where do you find it? How do you channel it? How do you seek it out?

The sprawl of Toronto where I grew up can be severely bleak, it’s very cold there are many grey days, there are trees and people have cute yards and there are planned green spaces, but I wouldn’t call the overall landscape “inspired”.
I truthfully spent most of my time under many layers of insulative clothing and half-soaked feet from snow on public transportation in traffic and in malls, or under fluorescent lights at school.
My point is that I can be easy to impress, I learned to perceive beauty all around - I’ve always been a magpie, and I can be inspired by something as minute as the tone of color of a print on a wrapper of something at the dollar store or overtly magnificent like a painting or an incredible landscape.
Feeling bursts of inspiration is not an issue for me, but having the energy and focus to conceive a project and see it through to a cohesive end can be more of a challenge, and that is really when I feel I am channelling or transmuting creativity in a way that makes me feel full, so I have to create a container for that.
I am capable of great endurance, but I have to be careful that my efforts are directed in the right way or I can easily burn myself out. I learned that the hard way through my business as there’s always some mundane work to take care of. I do miss going to the MET, that always would unlock a strong flow state for me. 

We thrive on honouring our connection to the natural world through food, medicine and gardening. What role does nature play in your life? 

I’m fortunate that wonder seems to be a foundational quality that has remained with me, it’s only gone dormant for me briefly during periods of strong duress.  
At this point I’ve lived in several urban environments, and I’m testing my limits living somewhere a little more rural, more intentionally beautiful and easier on the senses. Moving from living in NYC for many years to where I live in California was a step into a different type of inspiration.
Right now, I'm going on as many walks as I can fit in, and I’m getting to know different access points of nature.  I’m also going through a long process of unwinding from living in a very overstimulating environment for the past 20 years.

We have always believed in the connection between the body and the mind. We try hard to practice self-care, though it’s not always easy. How do you look after yourself?

I do whatever it takes; every day I pray, clear my energy, intentionally release the energies of others I may have unconsciously taken on.
Every day is different, one day I might reach for EFT, other days that feels corny.  Some days breathwork is the answer, other days it makes me feel ungrounded and spun out. I sit at my altar, I use my Healy, I journal, I work out, I walk, I run many processes on myself, I take baths, I laugh and hang out with my husband.
The foundations have been some of the hardest to implement: eating balanced meals regularly, eating my last meal before sunset, sleeping before 11pm, getting exposed to natural light, limiting screen time, going outside for walks.
It’s taken me a long time to get out of the mentality of wanting a quick fix, and realizing that, the most gentle and long-lasting repair are subtle things that take place over time, much longer than my mind thinks it should be.

What does pleasure – whether personal, professional or both – look like for you? Where do you find it? How do you welcome it?  

Truthfully my greatest pleasure comes from creating, and I love being in a dynamic environment with other people, which happens occasionally with my business, but not consistently.
I’m the type of person that once I get a challenge and the creativity starts to flow, I start to feel unlimited. The paradox of my business is that I love to be my own boss and to set my own schedule, but right now the operation is super-slim which feels like freedom, but it does feel isolating, and I can get bogged down with work when too many things converge at once.
For years when the business was operating at a larger capacity I felt completely consumed. It took a lot of time to shift myself to make room for pleasure, and it required letting go of the things that I thought needed to happen. It’s only worth it for me to be stuck in the studio alone if it’s  balanced with collaborative work or propels me out into the world in another capacity.
Last March I did the jewelry for KNWLS FW24, which was very inspiring, I went to London and it was the first time in a very long time where my only job was to create, not worry about any other details, and it was so liberating and fun! 

Our community on digital platforms is an invaluable source of conversation, laughter, creative exchange and mutual support. Over the years it has expanded to encompass meaningful in-person connections. 
Can you share with us some in-person experiences that have transformed you in some way? And tell us why they were so important to you?

The first time I did breathwork in a group setting was wildly transformational for me. At that point I had been living with chronic pain for about 10 years and I was starting to feel like giving up.  Lisa Levine who started Maha Rose  led a group at an upstate event  where a bunch of people including myself were leading workshops of all kinds of things. I wasn’t particularly interested in attending but a friend grabbed me at the last minute and after the session was over all the pain in my body was completely gone for about 24 hours. The pain returned but I had not experienced any relief like that. I had gotten a lot of bodywork, I was doing yoga and pilates all the time, and the pain just kept getting worse. It was my first access point into the emotional aspect of pain living in my body, and that was a pivotal moment for me, a massive opening.

How do you regulate your energies? Describe a moment recently where being with people has enabled you to recharge?

I feel most happy after I go dancing.
I am quite social by nature, and I know very few people here - my appetite for socializing far surpasses that of my husband’s so I have to take myself out, which can be super uncomfortable.
I used to do it all the time when I was in my partying phase, and I would drink to move through the discomfort. Now I barely ever drink, sometimes it will be fun, the world will open up and I’ll be happy, and sometimes it will be weird and it will feel unbearable and I’ll  be patient. 


What foods do you like to share with friends and loved ones and why? Do you have a recipe that you can share with us?

Hmm, I cook so frequently and rarely the same thing. I’ve really been training myself to fine hone my skills the past year or so. My husband got me Alice Waters’ “the art of simple food” and I’d say that is my food bible at the moment. We have an overfilled shelf of cookbooks, and I rarely cook anything without consulting her. 

I’ll share one recipe  from the bon appetit part of epicurious that I altered a bit. I felt SO good after eating it. I’m on a real bitter greens kick, after I eat a dose of bitter I can feel a rush of movement in my body. It’s the season to support your liver, anyway.


Can you remember the first time you put on one of our garments? Which garment was this? How did that feel? Where were you? Who were you with?

Of course I remember! The first I saw your pieces was with our shared Japanese client at the time, Nouer. Mika and Mikako were always wearing your pieces when they visited my showroom in Paris. I am not sure they let me try on their jackets but I got bit by the bug!
I may not have tried one on until we were in the blazing heat in California at Mercado Segrado maybe 8?!  years ago. 


Arielle wears her own Diamond Jacket and Drip Earrings.

thank you ARIELLE <3