Meet Melanie Morgan | Jewelry Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Melanie Morgan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Melanie, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
Yes, I have a favorite quote I heard first as a teenager and it stuck with me ever since. “The shortest path to oneself leads around the world” It rings true for me in so many ways because I travelled half around the world to live here in the USA and even though I missed my homeland and sometimes regretted my decision to move here, I know I wouldn’t have grown to be the person I am today. Seeing different worlds and experiencing different cultures has not only helped me to be more humble and understanding, it also helped my creativity and growth as an artist. I love trying new crafts and my inspirations are influence by my surrounding. For example, I am intrigued by crafts from different cultures and a significant amount of my designs have been influenced by the skills of crafts people in different countries.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I fell in love with metalwork at the age of 18 after an internship. I then went on to learn the trade of goldsmith from a Master Jeweler in Frankfurt Germany. Most of my designs would start with a fascination of a certain trade skill and the desire to try it. After several years of trying out different techniques, I developed my own style. I love materials in their basic form and I mainly work with sterling silver, fine gold and semi precious stones. Most of my recent work has been influenced by Keum-boo, an ancient Korean gilding technique where you apply a thin sheet of fine gold to silver. I am most proud of my technical skills which I combine with my creative spirit to manufacture unique pieces . My inspiration comes from the outside world – the landscape on the horizon, the shape of falling leaves, the textures of the natural world – and the beauty of conscientious, well-crafted simplicity. My goal is to create affordable jewelry from precious material that tell a story and can be handed down to the next generation.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We would absolutely have to do some hiking in the Georgia mountains and afterwords go for a swim in the Chattooga River. Paddle boarding on Lake Jocassee would definitely be included in the itinerary. It is one of my favorite places to go in the summer. I live in Athens Ga, so for casual dinner, we’d go to Cali n Tito. I love the atmosphere there. For a finer dinner experience, I would take my friend to the National. If we still have energy, then we’d drive to Atlanta for some Salsa dancing at The Sanctuary on a Friday night.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to thank my parents for always being there for me and giving me the freedom to choose my own profession. They gave me the foundation for my success today and the strength to deal with downfalls. Next is my husband. He is my biggest supporter and never faltered no matter how crazy my ideas or next project. I could not have done it without him.
Last shoutout is to Will Manning. He came to the store for me to create his and his wife’s wedding band and we have been friends since. We can talk crafts for hours and he has more faith in my skills as a goldsmith than I ever had. He has always encouraged me to take that next step in my career.
I also want to give credit to the Saul Bell Design contest with Rio Grande. Being a finalist gave me validation and confidence in my constant self doubt.
There are many more people that deserve credit, from lifelong friends that touched my life to strangers that gave a compliment at the right moment. The road to success is never travelled alone.

Website: https://www.melaniemorganjewelry.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melaniemorganjewelry/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melaniemorganjewelry

Image Credits
Jamie DeRevere