Da Goddess

I’d like to introduce you to someone very special me. Miachelle of Accessories and I go back several years, back when I used to be a semi-popular blogger and someone whose name was occasionally mentioned by the Big Dogs. Luckily, when I gave up my seat in that club, Miachelle stuck with me (much like a couple other great folks who stop by here). When I went to Phoenix in February, I missed meeting up with Miachelle by thismuch. I should have planned better. I wanted to hang out with her not just because she’s a cool lady, but because I wanted to actually put my hands on some of her glorious jewelry.

Folks, if you ever have the desire to invest your money into unique, beautifully handcrafted jewelry, Miachelle is the lady to see. Her pieces are created with love and are quite distinctive in appearance. Each piece is different from the next. The materials she uses aren’t necessarily different from what others might use, but it’s the way she puts them together that really makes them special. If you want to stand out in a crowd, wear Miachelle’s jewelry. People will recognize you as the bold, discerning woman you are!

Because I can’t do true justice to Miachelle and Cosmopolitan Accessories with just a couple paragraphs of gushing praise, I figured the best way for you to get to know her and get a feel for what she offers was to let her tell you in her own words.

So, without further ado, let’s begin.

How/when did you get into creating jewelry?

I’ve always been artistic. As a child, I drew because my mother drew. She was my idol. When I was in high school, I realized I didn’t want to be told what project to do, and how to do it, which I knew spelled disaster for an artistic career. I joined the military, and quit drawing altogether because of a drill sergeant (a whole different story). I still had these creative urges though, and kept trying different outlets. After I was out of the Army, that urge got even worse. I had two co-workers who made their own jewelry, Saoirse and Cappy, and I was constantly envying their accessories, Saoirse in particular. She was an art deco kind of designer. Saoirse loaned me a how-to book, and I spent two weeks thoroughly engaged. That was seven years ago and I’ve been hooked ever since.

Do you have a particular influence or are your creations something more organic and spontaneous?

I’m usually inspired by colors and shapes. For example, at an art show there were some local glass artists in the booth across from mine. They had a beautiful glass necklace on display. I kept looking at that necklace — it was blue glass sticks in a rather non-symmetrical fan design, and an inspiration to combine chain maille and glass kept nagging at me. I talked to them throughout the day, and by the time we were tearing down, I’d commissioned them to make me some black and white glass bead sticks. I wanted to use my red and silver jump rings to create something very industrial, yet tribal. They made the glass bead sticks for me, and after 20 hours of linking and designing on the fly, I created “Fab Tribe”. It’s one of my all-time top three favorites. I would love to do some more pieces combining the glass and chain maille. The colors and reflectiveness in the glass add a completely different design dimension that I love working with.

How do you go about choosing your materials?

I’m not a person who goes and buys tons of materials in bulk. First of all, I run my business purely on cash flow. No loans, no credit cards. So I have to be extremely cautious and picky when I make a purchase. Usually I buy materials based off an immediate image that pops up in my mind. There are things I buy that are basics, like sterling silver wire, anodized aluminum jump rings or pearls. You have to have the basics. But for the center focal points of the necklace? It has to speak to me as soon as I see it. Those are crucial to my pieces. If I can’t get a vision out of those pieces, it’s not worth spending the money or the time on.

Do you have a favorite piece?

My all-time favorite piece is one called “Katrina”. I made it four days after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. I had a call for entries (for a book) for which I needed to create a piece. As I worked on this piece, the shape of the necklace (a reverse question mark) really began to overtake me. I was thinking about New Orleans, and what people were going through. It occurred to me that similar to the shape of my necklace, their lives were thrown in reverse, and few of them really had an answer to get themselves out of the upheaval caused by the hurricane. The colors were beautiful — turquoise and green mixed with smoky quartz, like the lushness I grew up with in the South. That necklace became “Katrina”. I remember that day. Once the emotions took over with the image, I couldn’t stop making it. My husband was a little exasperated that it was a chore to get me to eat and do family things that evening. All I wanted to do was finish that piece. It only took six hours. Six hours, over 24 feet of sterling silver wire, and lots of pearls, crystals, smoky quartz, and a really nice dichroic glass pendant. It now belongs to a woman in Baltimore who became a friend of mine years after she bought it. It was also published in the book for which it was made: Beadazzled: Where Beads and Inspiration Meet by Penelope Diamanti and William Allen, my first time being published. It was also the first time I really remember being inspired by something outward as a jewerly designer. That feeling was really a rush, something akin to the endorphin rushes I used get when I used to run.

What has been your greatest accomplishment in jewelry-making?

I think my greatest accomplishment in jewelry making has been my own growth and expansion as an artist. I have had a lot of material accomplishments, such as being published numerous times, having my jewelry in local movies, and winning some local awards, but I yearn to grow and evolve as an artist. Because I actually do have a practical and logical side, I desire financial and public success with my work, but above anything else, I have to continuously grow as an artist, both in skill and artistic expression. I look back at what I was making seven years ago, or three years ago, and I’m so very different now than at those times, and I’m proud of that. Until now, I’ve been nearly a completely self-taught artist (I’ve taken three classes in seven years), but I’m about to embark on the metalsmithing path and take the next level upward in skills and design techniques. I want to evoke a response in people, and I think I am just now at that level where I do that. People may not always like my work, but at least they respond. I think if you are making things that don’t elicit a response one way or the other, you’re wasting your time and your audience’s. Perhaps that’s why I am so anti-department store jewelry!

Who should wear your work?

Not to be cliché, but (laugh) EVERYONE. My company motto is “Dare to be BOLD”. I see that many women like things like my jewelry, but they’ve allowed themselves to be molded and boxed in regarding their self-image. I want women to break out of that mold. I don’t believe a woman is too old, too short, too fat, or too inelegant to wear my pieces. I believe if a piece speaks to you and you can afford it, WEAR IT! Life is short, and unexpected. Why cheat yourself out of something that gives you innocent pleasure?

Many of your pieces are very sensuous. They seem as though they’d feel delightfully cool against one’s skin no matter how long they’re worn. Is that intentional?

I don’t know that the appearance of temperature in my pieces is intentional — I pay more attention to the weight of the pieces, because I’ve heard so many women exclaim how deceptively light my big pieces are. Women are sensitive to how how heavy a necklace is — at my age I am not as bothered by the weight of a piece, but older women are more so. That’s the challenge of marketing my pieces. Older women have the money and art appreciation to buy my pieces, but they also think they are too old to wear them beautifully. (Hogwash, I say!) I think because I focus on the weight of the pieces, the cooler appearance goes hand-in-hand with that design aspect.

Thinking back on all the work I’ve seen, silver is “IN”. Do you work with gold at all? What other metals do you use, if any?

Actually, two years ago I began using anodized aluminum, because silver was peaking at $18/ounce before processing (and about $21/ounce after processing). When you figure in materials and labor to come up with the price, that makes for a very expensive piece, especially when I am spending 10+ hours on one necklace. I love silver, and would prefer to work primarily in silver (though that would make some of these pieces much heavier). I have not worked in gold because gold has been bouncing in the $900/ounce range for three years. I would love to find a financial backer willing to pay for me to work in mixtures of gold and silver. For example, I think if I took “Fab Tribe”, made it in a mixture of argentium silver (doesn’t tarnish like regular sterling silver) and rose gold, and changed the color of the glass pieces to complement the silver and rose gold, what a fantastic piece that would be! I’d have to charge $3000-5000 by the time I made it using those metals, and it would definitely have to be marketed to the high-end/celebrity customer base. Anodized aluminum is great because not only does it come in bright silver, it comes in a rainbow of colors and it really adds a whole new design dimension. Titanium does as well, but that is expensive and it’s heavier.

Have you sold to any celebrities? Seems they’d be the perfect customer for unique pieces like yours.

Not yet…though my jewelry has been used in some locally produced films. Two can be viewed in a movie called Blood Moon Rising, a Warner Brothers DVD due release this spring/summer, and it features a cameo with Ron Jeremy. It’s kind of a pulp fiction vampire movie, and should be lots of fun. I also had several pieces in a recently filmed feature movie called Red Corvette. It was made for a non-profit organization with an anti-drug theme geared towards the high-school/college age audience. If you search for my company on www.imdb.com, you will find me credited on a number of small films. I also list my filmography on my website.

Do family members wear your jewelry?

But of course! I have given and sold a number of pieces to my mother and my mother-in-law. I have to say I think my mother is my biggest fan. She’s also tall and striking in appearance, so she’s a great model for my pieces! My best friend/soul sister has a few of my pieces as well, and borrows jewelry when she comes to visit me. We keep the love in the family!

How much should someone plan on investing in your works of art?

Depending on your perspecitve, my pieces are pretty affordable given the effort and time put into them. I have really nice artistic (but simple) sterling silver chain and earring sets that run about $149, and my big pieces run between $250 and $450. They are an investment, but a small one. Given that I don’t repeat pieces, the uniqueness also adds to the value.

Do you create custom pieces for clients?

Absolutely! I have done wedding sets (one was for the bride, bridal party, and her daughter). I have created pieces intended as gift items. I like doing custom pieces — they are actually more challenging than you would think. You have to make your customer happy with the request, but sometimes they aren’t completely sure of what they are looking for, so combining creative freedom and the restraints of the customer’s idea is challenging. However, the feeling of making that customer happy is an incredible one, and well worth the effort!

Back to the sensuous question: your work does have a certain sexiness about it. Is that a reflection of you, the materials, or both?

I enjoy making women feel sexy with my jewelry. But sexy can be anything — as long as it comes from the inside. Sexy can be a simple strand of pearls, or it can be a piece like my front/back necklace, “Diadem”. If it doesn’t start there, my jewelry won’t be sexy on a woman. I think I like pushing the envelope though, and I try not to do “sedate” pieces, although sometimes those are the bread and butter of a jewelry business.

Where can people find your jewelry besides your website?

Currently, I sell at Art on Boston (www.artonboston.com) and at the new Hilton hotel gift shop in Chandler, AZ. I am currently researching locations outside the state of Arizona, though, focusing on resort/vacation areas and high-end galleries.

Thanks for taking the time to talk with me, Miachelle! As always, I’m in awe at the depth of your creativity and the absolute genius of your work.

Please go have a look at Miachelle’s enchanting designs. I guarantee you’ll find something that takes your breath away. And, if you’re smart, you’ll pop a link to this interview in an email to your significant other and a link to your favorite piece, along with a reminder of an anniversary, birthday, or a “just because you love me” day. As she said before, these pieces are an investment, but not a huge one. And it’ll be worth every penny when you put the jewelry on and feel like a million bucks! Plus, you’ll be the envy of all your friends!