Moose Spotlight: Hand-Fabricated Jewelry Inspired by Nature

"

Have courage to try different things."

- Melissa Meman, @melismatic_art

 

MEET THE ARTIST

 

 

 

 

 

 

@melismatic_art on Instagram

 

 

 

 



THE JOURNEY TO CREATING JEWELRY

 

 

 

 

Meet jewelry artist Melissa Meman from Frederick, Maryland. She has been making jewelry for 20+ years now and has been silversmithing for three years! Her creations can be seen on Instagram @melismatic_art 💚

 

 

 

 

It all started with a pair of earrings! Melissa remembered, "I fell in love with earrings from a world market featuring eclectic glass beads. After stumbling upon my first bead store, decided to try and make my own!"

 

 

 

"Whenever I am introduced to a new medium I want to switch gears and go full-speed into it, which resulted in a lot of “dabbling” with enamels, polymer clay, metal clay and wire work," Melissa shared when asked what was her journey like when she was just getting started. She thinks she has found her niche in silversmithing, but that dabbling helped her realize her place in the jewelry art world. 🫶🏼

 

 

 

Asked if she can still remember the very first piece she sold, Melissa revealed, "I was a singer in a past life and brought beaded earrings to an opera rehearsal!" How amazing is that? ✨

 

 

 

Regarding her brand name, Melissa explained that in music, melismatic is the singing of one syllable of text while moving through different notes in succession. It is an homage to her singing past, and a playful nod to her name, Melissa! 

 

 

Let's take a look at some of her beautiful creations!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Turquoise Jewelry by Melissa Meman of @melismatic_art on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

ARTIST'S DESIGN STYLE

 

 

 

 

Our AHA! moments are almost always unforgettable, for Melissa, it was this moment, "Probably the first bezel setting that I didn’t melt and actually looked nice!" Who can relate? 

 

 

 

 

 

THE DESIGN PROCESS

 

 

 

Melissa's design process varies. She doodles a lot and come up with ideas. Sometimes, she sees a shape in nature and sketch it to figure out if it will work with a particular stone. If she's using metal stamps, she will stamp with an ink pad to see if it fits!

 

 

 

 

Describing her own design style, Melissa said, "Most of my jewelry is inspired by nature so you will find a lot of botanical elements such as leaves, and flowers!"

 

 

 

 

Here are a few more stunning jewelry pieces by Melissa!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Turquoise Jewelry by Jewelry Artist Melissa Meman of @melismatic_art on Instagram

 

 

 

 

JEWELRY DESIGN TIPS, TRICKS, AND HANDY TECHNIQUES

 

 

 

 

What's one design tip you one to share with your fellow artists?

 

 

 

"Blue painters tape is your friend! I use it for holding metal to dies for hammering, balling it up to act as a buffer between a bezel edge and my fingers while sawing, and more!"

 

 

 

 

One piece of technical advice on creating.

 

 

 

"Get the best tools you can afford."

 

 

 

 

Any words of encouragement or tips to those who are starting out in the world of jewelry-making?

 

 

 

"Have courage to try different things. Every new skill takes practice and perseverance!"

 

 

Lastly, here's Melissa's message to the universe: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Follow Melissa on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melismatic_art/

Check out her website: https://melismaticartjewelry.com/

 

 

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