Body Adornment For The Soul
Mindy is a long-time Bend, Oregon friend and custom jewelry maker. Archaeologist by trade, turned jeweler, she has a unique style all her own. I spent the day out at her tiny local studio, trying to learn the tricks of her trade.
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BY KRISTEN JOKINEN
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APRIL 21, 2018
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I made my way again out to Mindy's home and studio on the outskirts of Bend, Oregon where Meliloo Designs began. Mindy's small studio is meticulously well organized with every bag of stones, leather, string, and metals all in their place. She was sitting with large headphones on deep in conversation with someone and hunched over her large wooden desk with tools in hand, working on a jewelry piece. Watching her work is like watching a surgeon performing a triple bypass, with the utmost care and concern for every tiny detail. Even down to the packaging her pieces are shipped out in. Bagged, boxed, wrapped in string. When the tiny box is in your hand, it is but a work of art.
"I have been making jewelry since I was little, like 12 or 13. I use to sell bracelets that I made for my friends when I was 11." Jewelry making began as a hobby, but Mindy spent many years working in the serving industry in Bend to pay the bills. While waitressing and bartending, she attended University of Oregon Cascades Campus and finished a degree in Archaeology. After her degree, she spent a few rotating seasons out to areas around Eastern Oregon and Burns working for the BLM on digs. "I didn't start doing the wire wrapping until I was inspired by all the rocks in the desert when I was working for the BLM. About 7 years ago is when I started working with melting metals."
Mindy's attention to detail and love for natural stones and metals has made her an amazing jeweler. Mindy encompasses the child inside us all that collects rocks, stones, shells, and trinkets and turns them into works of art. "I believe that through the simplicity of nature, beauty is created. The rawness of nature is what inspires me. I am excited about creating jewelry that is very minimal; with the addition of my belly jewelry, I feel this is what expresses my philosophy of a beautiful style that embodies simplicity, class, and comfort."
"I have been making jewelry since I was little, like 12 or 13. I use to sell bracelets that I made for my friends when I was 11." Jewelry making began as a hobby, but Mindy spent many years working in the serving industry in Bend to pay the bills. While waitressing and bartending, she attended University of Oregon Cascades Campus and finished a degree in Archaeology. After her degree, she spent a few rotating seasons out to areas around Eastern Oregon and Burns working for the BLM on digs. "I didn't start doing the wire wrapping until I was inspired by all the rocks in the desert when I was working for the BLM. About 7 years ago is when I started working with melting metals."
Mindy's attention to detail and love for natural stones and metals has made her an amazing jeweler. Mindy encompasses the child inside us all that collects rocks, stones, shells, and trinkets and turns them into works of art. "I believe that through the simplicity of nature, beauty is created. The rawness of nature is what inspires me. I am excited about creating jewelry that is very minimal; with the addition of my belly jewelry, I feel this is what expresses my philosophy of a beautiful style that embodies simplicity, class, and comfort."
A few years ago, Meliloo Designs had become so sought after, that Mindy left her job with the BLM and became a full time artisan and jeweler. Her dream of living a life doing what she loved had came to a reality. " I love directing the attention of my work to the natural uniqueness and organic rawness of each stone and feel excited to bring my designs into reality by pairing them with the elegance of soft and strong metals. Each stone I work with inspires its own design, the metals help to accentuate them. I have an appreciation for the geology and history of the earth and I am always looking for new and different stones to inspire me."
Before Ville and I set off on our journey by bicycle from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina, we sat down with Mindy and designed a few unique and beautiful We Lost The Map bracelets and necklaces for our supporters and fans. We each hung a We Lost The Map pendant on a necklace at the beginning of our ride as we headed out for the adventure of a lifetime. We packed a bag of these with us and gifted them to those that helped us along the way. We Lost The Map was to remind us to, well, lose the map. Take life as it comes. Embrace the unknown and enjoy every moment. After completing our ride in Ushuaia (actually Lapataia) on February 15, 2018, with our We Lost The Map pendants on, we have returned home to Bend and we want to share our journey and jewelry, with you. So you will always remember to lose your map.
You can get your very own necklace or bracelet in our STORE and pair it with some stones from Meliloo Designs. Find the links below to our We Lost The Map Store and to Meliloo Designs or visit www.meliloo.com
You can get your very own necklace or bracelet in our STORE and pair it with some stones from Meliloo Designs. Find the links below to our We Lost The Map Store and to Meliloo Designs or visit www.meliloo.com
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