I’m Marisa, mama of a wonderful boy named Kai Moon, I was born in Sicily and about 10 years ago I moved to England to follow my life partner, but i miss my family and the island a lot, so I go back to Italy whenever I can and I usually end up staying months at time and that\u2019s the reason why I decided to have a second little metalsmith studio where I can still work on my jewellery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Italy, I studied Art, I’ve always been creative, I love to try and experiment with new techniques and tools, I spend most of my days making stuff. Creating to me is like meditating, it gives me peace and tranquility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nWhen did you discover your love of jewellery?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As a child my family would take me to different artisan markets all over Sicily and I remember that\u2019s where I fell in love with silver jewellery and crystals, seeing all those beautiful colours and creations made by lovely people, I especially appreciated and I still do, Native American and Indian jewelry. Somehow I knew that’s what I wanted to do and that’s how I wanted to live my life, travelling the world making beautiful jewelry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve been making jewelry for decades, I started with beading, wire wrapping and then macram\u00e9 but my love was for sterling silver, I started collecting pieces from other silversmith until I decided that it was time to learn this technique and starting making my own pieces. I took a one day introductory silversmith class with a lovely friend and that\u2019s how I started my journey into metalsmithing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tell us a bit more about your work. Are there any particular materials or techniques that you favour?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n My work is inspired by crystals, paintings, travelling the world and native crafts. I combine all these elements and transform them into one of a piece of jewellery. My favourite material to work with is sterling silver, I love to combine different gemstones, choosing between the colours and shapes excites me like choosing paint to put on a palette.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How would you best describe your design style?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I would describe my design style as a mix of all I\u2019ve learnt from Art and things I\u2019ve seen during my travels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a jewellery maker, where do you get your inspiration from for your pieces?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I get inspiration from Indian, Mexican and African culture but also from artists like Frida Kahlo and Jean Michel Basquiat. I like to use song lyrics and poetry references too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you have a piece that you are particularly proud of?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m very proud of my first locket, it was a challenge for me to create a hinged piece because I didn\u2019t know how to create the mechanism with silver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What is the one item in your workshop that you couldn\u2019t live without?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In my workshop I couldn\u2019t live without my saw and the torch. I use both of these tools in every piece I make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What upcoming trends do you see being popular soon?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t really like to follow trends, I want to create timeless pieces but I still like to keep an eye on what\u2019s popular at the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What is the most valuable lesson you have learnt from your time in jewellery making?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve learnt how important it is to keep in contact with customers, I learn what they like and dislike and offer them the best I can because I feel everyone deserve a nice unique custom piece of jewelry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you have any particular advice that you would give to up and coming jewellery designers, or someone interested in getting into jewellery making?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Never give up on- your dreams, always keep your inner child alive. Be creative and be inspired by life, if you feel drawn to jewellery making then go for it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, time for a bit of fun in our quick-fire round!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tell us your favourite\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Colour?<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Purple and turquoise I can\u2019t pick just one! Many thanks to Marisa for talking to us and for being part of our Cooksongold Meets series<\/p>\n\n\n\n Find out more about Marisa\u2019s designs via her Mahakashi Etsy page<\/a>, Instagram<\/a> or Facebook profile<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.cooksongold.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/image4-768x1024.jpg\")
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Biscuit?<\/strong> – Millionaire shortbread
Coffee or tea?<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Peppermint tea
Place?<\/strong> – Around the world
Animal?<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Red panda
Gemstone?<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Opal and Tourmaline
Food?<\/strong> – Mediterranean
Film?<\/strong> – Into the wild
City?<\/strong> – New York
Book?<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Siddharta by Herman Hesse
Song?\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 Let Love Rule by Lenny Kravitz
Describe yourself in a hashtag?<\/strong> – #dreamer
What is the one thing that people don’t know about you?<\/strong> – I love vintage Polly Pockets and miniatures in general
Style Icon?<\/strong> – Frida Kahlo, Lisa Bonet in the 80\u2019s<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.cooksongold.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/image0-831x1024.png\"){kind=spacer}
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