melanie casey jewelry love
My name is Melanie Casey, and I am a passionate fine-jewelry maker. I was born and raised just north of Boston, Massachusetts. I spend my days creating at my bench, and in the evening I focus on photography, my web presence and interacting with clients. If I’m not working on my business, I’m dreaming about it!
I am a creative person to the core, and my enthusiasm for making jewelry literally altered my life. I earned my degree in finance back in 2006 and fully expected to make my career in that industry. In fact, for years after college I worked with a distinguished team of portfolio managers on a Boston-based trading floor. After hours, I was experimenting with new jewelry techniques, developing my personal design aesthetic and starting to sell my work.
In the midst of a frigid Boston winter in 2010, I started dreaming about making my jewelry business a full-time career. Once those thoughts emerged, there was no keeping them at bay; I don’t think my career change was as much a choice as it was an undeniable need. In early 2011, I made a great leap of faith and quit my secure and stable career to pursue a new creative endeavor. My career in jewelry regularly pushes me beyond my comfort zone, and when the outcome is good it’s exceptionally motivating. This business certainly demands my best and won’t stand for my natural inclination towards procrastination – I am definitely the hardest boss I’ve ever had!
I would describe my design style as striking, yet delicate; even my larger pieces tend to have small details and teeny accent gemstones. I have amassed an amazing collection of gemstones over the years, so I usually begin my design process by selecting a stone. I often create designs in wax, which allows me to build curves and shapes that would be immensely difficult to do directly in metal. I typically create about half a design in wax and then send it out to be professionally cast. Once in metal, I will fine tune the design with hand files and rotary tools. When a design is perfect and polished, I set the gemstone as the very last step in the process.
I joined Etsy when it was still small and developing back in 2006, and since then I’ve watched budding artists within this community develop into world-class designers. Because of the enthusiastic and supportive Etsy culture, I was able to start my own small business and grow it into a sustainable, full-time career. I’m excited to see how things will continue to evolve – this business truly has a mind of its own, and I’ve found that it’s best to simply enjoy the journey and see where it takes me.
All maker and studio photographs by Douglas Levy.
