Jules Kim, perhaps more fondly known by the name of her nearly-eponymous jewelry line, BiJules, is not only a downtown NYC artist and nightlife personality, but a creative force to be reckoned with. Not your typical Tiffany’s jeweler, she creates a line that reaches far outside the little blue box to produce aggressive yet beautiful pieces.

Not afraid to make a powerful statement with her work, her previous collection “Disarming Weaponry” utilizes weapon charms, from machine guns to katana blades and hand grenades, all with a feminine spin as she crafts them out of precious metals and delicately encrusted stones. But the most recent collection, "Hairem," perhaps reveals a softer side of Jules. With not only a Farrah Fawcett-inspired coiffure, the connection to hair runs deep, as her newest designs take colorfully-dyed strands of genuine human hair and transform them into elegant hair-jewels.

With even the likes of Rihanna sporting the line in the infamous "Umbrella" video, it’s undeniable that BiJules is making a mark with her bold urban accessories. To find out more about her inspirations, feminist tendencies, and newfound passion for all things hair, psychoPEDIA sat down with BiJules to discuss the meaning behind her unconventional designs:

What’s so special about your jewelry line?
I like to call it lifestyle jewelry. The products that I put out, each one has its own story, and the person who puts it on creates his or her own fairy-tale after that.

Is there a feminist connotation behind the "Disarming Weaponry" series?
As a woman, you have to be able to stand up for yourself and be secure. I’m not one of those crazy feminists who say, “Don’t open the door for me, because you’re a man. I can open the door myself.” It’s not about a level of capability. It’s more about that woman who’s completely open to being an individual, regardless of her sex. She can manage without the help of someone else. A lot of the feminism that’s intrinsic in my collection has to do with that woman who’s strong enough to take care of herself.

What message are you sending to others with these pieces, especially men?
When a man approaches me while I’m wearing my jewelry, there’s an impression [he gets] of, “Damn. I’d better stay away from you.”

As a woman might wear a fake engagement ring to keep away unwanted men, would you use one of your pieces to fend off men?
These are all conversation pieces. If someone can instigate a conversation and actually be able to continue with it—he’s a keeper. Otherwise, I think, “That’s right, motherfucker. Walk away.” Also, when you’re walking down the street and people are hollering or saying rude comments, flash the sword and people will leave you alone.

How is your new collection of hair pieces related to the rest of your work?
I decided to launch the Hairem line, based on the idea of adding to the hair that already exists. It was derived from the last addition to previous collection– a nail ring, which you put on top of your existing nails. Because that’s what the definition of jewelry is– to embellish the body.

You're using real human hair for these pieces?
When I started researching, I looked into Victorian times to see how they used hair then. I didn’t want to do the same thing. I decided to find synthetic hair, because I didn’t want there to be any stigma related to hierarchy and class structures in hair quality. I fell upon using those different classes, though, because it’s impossible to dye synthetic pieces. Just like setting stones in silver, I wanted to take that kind of flair and add it to hair. In order to do that, I had to use human hair.

What exactly are the hair hierarchies?
There are different classes of hair. Japanese hair is the highest quality and the most expensive. Korean is second in line, and then Chinese and Indian. Who’s to say why it’s divided that way, and how I would even be able to access this “Blood Hair?” It’s like the “Blood Diamond” problem where you don’t know where this hair is coming from, and you have to have different approvals and certificates to get the right kind.

Are you superstitious, or believe that witches can use hair for spells?
It’s true that voodoo people do. Although, when I was doing research for this collection, I was looking into religious sects and particularly Buddhist values. In one school of teaching, the belief is that when a person becomes enlightened, he leaves behind his fingernails and hair—which are the most human things you can leave. Your skin decays and your bones become brittle and blow away, but your hair and nails will always stay.

What’s been the reaction of men to your hair pieces?
They touch it first and then realize that they’ve touched me, and react by saying “Oh my god, I’m sorry.”

And women?
They do the same thing. That’s why I also call it a unisex line, because the reactions, regardless of sex, are similar. People either say, “Wow, this is crazy” or “That’s fucking disgusting.”

A coffin seems like a vampy concept for jewelry box.
Inside is the actual piece that’s not alive until you open it. There are things to care for it once it’s alive– a comb with every package– so you have to pick through it, love and care for it, because when you put it on, it becomes a part of you. Even though these pieces may not cost thousands of dollars or be studded with rare exotic cashmere sapphires, they are monumental to the individual that purchases them; it’s the whole act of buying, nurturing and taking care of it, and being able to take it out when you want to be alive.

Could these be used as an engagement rings– that people could cut each other’s hair as a symbol of commitment?
You’d have to be together for at least three or four years, because the hair would have to be long enough to cut!

Billy Bob and Angelina exchanged jewelry with vials of their blood as symbolic of their love, but do you think if they had hair jewelry, they would've resorted to drawing blood?
That was an extremist version, but the hair thing can totally be shared. It’s like in Victorian Ages when they would cut locks of hair of from their first child, or when a child would die, they would cut off the hair to preserve, like the Buddhists believed, the final thing before someone’s passing.

If a couple brought each other’s hair and asked you to do custom engagement rings for them, would you do it?
That would be amazing. I would die to do that. I think hair is new way to symbolize the love is forever, just like diamonds are forever.

So this jewelry would clearly not be for gold-diggers.
Hair-diggers sure, but gold-diggers, no!

~Interview by Julia Kim

First, eighth, and ninth photos, courtesy of BiJules
Fifth photo by Tone
Sixth & seventh photos by Mike Yee