A Conversation with Nicole and Kim Carosella, Founders of Sorellina

Today, we're speaking with Nicole and Kim Carosella, the sister duo behind Sorellina, a Brooklyn-based fine jewelry brand that has been redefining modern luxury since 2012. With roots in Italian heritage, a love for vintage romanticism, and an unmistakable Art Deco edge, these two sisters have built a brand where bold meets beautiful and every piece tells a story. From their shared "mega-desk" in their Brooklyn showroom to the diamond district streets of Manhattan, Nicole and Kim have turned a sisterly dream into a thriving fine jewelry house beloved by collectors around the world.

Thanks so much for sitting down with us. Let's start at the beginning — where did the idea for Sorellina come from?

Kim: It really goes back to our childhood. We grew up on the north shore of Long Island, NY, where we were raised with a deep appreciation for the arts and a shared love of design. Nicole was always the creative one — she's an artist across so many disciplines. After college, she went to FIT, and that's where everything changed.

Nicole: It's kind of a funny story. Ever since I was a little girl, I loved going to jewelry stores and trying on jewelry, so my mom said I should be a jewelry designer — which of course means it was the last thing I wanted to try, because who wants their mother to be right? So I took a detour through art and fashion school, finally trying a jewelry design course at FIT after being bored in sewing class. I call the moment I lit my first blowtorch "love at first sight." I started bringing home these pieces, showing them to Kim, and she saw the opportunity right away.

Kim: I said, "Are we crazy? Should we start a jewelry line?" I have always been an environmentally-minded person, so the idea of costume jewelry did not really make my heart sing, because I wanted something that could be passed down. Something that, if you did not like it anymore, you could always melt it down. From there we said, "Should we do fine jewelry?" And that was that.

How did you land on the name Sorellina?

Kim: Nicole and I wanted the name of our label to reflect the romanticism of our jewelry while paying homage to our Italian family heritage. We chose the name Sorellina because it means younger or smaller sister in Italian. I am younger, but Nicole is shorter, and we loved that it applied to us both.

Your designs have such a distinctive look. How would you describe the Sorellina aesthetic?

Nicole: Sorellina is fine jewelry with dynamic energy. We embrace the beauty of duality by seamlessly blending opposing ideas. It is where masculine meets feminine, where accessible lives next to the extraordinary. To me, jewelry is art, it's wearable art, and it should be worn and seen. There is that magical element that I like to think comes through with the jewelry.

Kim: We knew we wanted to make amazing pieces that would never really see a safe. That would be worn multiple, multiple times. We wanted pieces that would be worn and loved and could be passed down. We loved the idea of creating family heirlooms. That vision has guided everything we do.

Where do you draw your design inspiration from?

Nicole: I am constantly inspired by my surroundings. NYC is filled with such great art, music, architecture and people. Our office is in midtown Manhattan with a view of the Chrysler Building from our window. We've always used the Art Deco era as a jumping off point for our designs. A lot of the inspiration behind the line also comes from vintage jewelry and the romanticism behind it. Sometimes the muse finds me in the strangest places — I once designed a collection inspired by a pile of dirty snow near our apartment!

Kim: And it's evolved so much over the years. As the brand grew, our influences expanded to include the mysticism of Tarot cards and the shapes of the Art Deco period, but we have always infused our creations with our distinctive style. Nicole has this philosophy that "wearing jewelry is surrounding yourself with a bit of magic every day," and that really is our north star.

Tell us about how you two divide and conquer as sisters running a business together.

Kim: Nicole and I balance each other out. She focuses on design, private client projects, stone sourcing and overall product development. I manage the operations and wholesale business. I'm the spreadsheet person — I actually love organized information. Nicole sometimes jokes that I keep her on "view-only" access to my spreadsheets!

Nicole: She's very organized, very ambitious — if it wasn't for her I would just have sketches on walls. Having your own business is always stressful. There's a lot on the line, it can get really intense. But even on my worst days I can say that I looked at diamonds and that I was with my best friend. So it's never that bad.

Your Tarot collection has been a real breakout. Can you tell us about that?

Nicole: Tarot has been the biggest undertaking, and the biggest success. The hero pendants are small pieces of art. Each starts as a painting that we translate into jewelry. It takes a team of skilled craftsmen nearly 90 hours to complete each piece. We spent more than a year perfecting the pendants before introducing them in the fall of 2020.

Kim: Our newest is based around the Lovers card in a tarot deck. This card celebrates the intimate relationships we have with loved ones throughout our lives. I chose to interpret this piece with two peacocks, rather than the traditional male and female, as a subtle play on gender and tradition. That's the kind of storytelling we love — layers of meaning in every piece.

Sustainability seems important to Sorellina. How does that play into what you do?

Nicole: We believe in intentional design. We approach each piece with great consideration and understand its impact on the environment. We use recycled gold whenever possible and when it is not, we work with fair-trade and fair-mined gold. All stones are natural and have been sustainably and responsibly sourced.

Kim: It was a founding principle for us. Our chain is sourced in Italy — one of our international manufacturers is all-female run — and we choose stones that are as traceable as possible, including emeralds from Muzo, Colombia. We scour the globe to find the most skilled artisans to bring our ideas to life. Sorellina is produced around the world.

Bespoke and custom work seems to be a big part of your business as well.

Nicole: Absolutely. Custom is a huge part of our business, and I really enjoy getting to know my clients and making their jewelry dreams come true. From small commissions to major suites of jewels, we can expertly source each element, or start from an existing piece that can be reimagined to blend both past and present. Starting with the initial consultation and through to the finished piece, each detail is expertly managed by the Sorellina team and personally overseen by me. The artist's touch is clear in every design.

Kim: That's kind of why we love doing engagement rings too — it's so much for the client we're designing for, and not just for who they're giving it to. It brings them so much joy and we try to make it a really intimate process. They feel like they have made it themselves.

Finally, what does the future hold for Sorellina?

Kim: We have grown tremendously since launching Sorellina. We continue to sell some of our most popular original gold and diamond pieces, but we now explore much more color with inlaid gemstones. The journey keeps evolving, and we're excited about what's next — new collections, new stories, more magic.

Nicole: Inspiration is everywhere. My brain is always thinking, processing, looking at things. The only way I can go to bed at night is if I lay in bed and just draw for hours. Some pieces are for Sorellina, and the future collection. As long as we keep creating pieces that people wear, love, and pass down, we're doing exactly what we set out to do.