Sarah Wilson, proprietress/designer of Mushka Designs recently joined LLS’s Team in Training. As a member, she has committed to an Olympic distance triathlon in September and she has also volunteered to raise funds for LLS for blood cancer research and to improve the quality of life for patients and their families. So, if you’ve been looking for a good reason to splurge on a new piece of jewelry for yourself or a friend… here it is! Shop for a cause! Thank you for your support!
20% OF PROCEEDS WILL BE DONATED TO THE LEUKEMIA & LYMPHOMA SOCIETY (LLS) from now until August 20th.
Trish: How did get into jewelry design?
Sarah: I have always been into art, ever since I was a little kid. In high school I took every art class that I could… and I was lucky enough to go to a school that happened to have a jewelry/metalworking studio and class. To this day I am still so grateful that the class was even offered. I went to a public school and it seems that it is always difficult to get extra funding for art programs. Anyway, I took the class and it just clicked like nothing else before. I felt very comfortable with the tools right away and my teacher took notice. After about a semester, he set me up with an interview with a local goldsmith. I was pretty surprised and extremely grateful. My teacher didn’t know it at the time, but he was turning me towards a path that would shape and inspire the rest of my life. I was hired to do “bench work” (polish, size rings, clean the studio, etc.) but this experience taught me more than I could have ever imagined about the art and business of jewelry and my boss became a mentor that I am still in touch with today.
I really want to express my extreme gratitude to my teachers and former boss/mentor. I don’t think I really understood at such a young age that I could actually become a jewelry designer. All I knew was that I loved doing it and as long as there were opportunities to work on jewelry in any way, I would take them. The head of the art department took the time to show me how to prepare an art portfolio for college interviews. I attended the University of Michigan School of Art and Design and focused on jewelry design and metalwork…. more great teachers, more knowledge, more passion…
Trish: When did you start your own line of jewelry?
Sarah: After graduating from Michigan in 2002, I packed up my car in pursuit of a life by the ocean and a career in the arts. I started working for a sculptor full time so I had to start making jewelry after hours. I built a small workbench in my bedroom (literally at the foot of my bed!) I would solder designs over the kitchen stove. After about two years of working for the sculptor and experimenting with jewelry in my free time, I finally had assembled my first collection and decided it was time to go out there and sell. I started Mushka Designs in 2004 with the Earth Collection. For the first two years of running my own company, I was also working part time for other artists and designers in order to keep a steady income.
Trish: Can you describe your technique a bit for us?
Sarah: I use a lot of different techniques to create my designs. I do a lot of fold forming, forging, hammer texturing… all of these are techniques used to manipulate the shape and texture of sheet metal and wire. Pieces are joined together by either soldering or riveting. I absolutely love the metalsmithing process. Once a piece is finished (a lot of work goes into the initial design and construction) I will often make a mold of the original so that I can reproduce a particular shape by casting it in either silver, bronze, brass, or gold. I always manipulate the surface of the final casting in some way. I might add texture by hand hammering, sanding, or buffing. I usually oxidize (blacken) sterling silver and then buff in order to bring out all of the texture and give it an organic look. The brass and bronze are also textured and then heat treated and brushed to bring out a range of golden tones. I like to finish gold with a coarse brush that gives the surface a matte, yet bright finish.
Trish: Where do you draw inspiration from for your designs?
Sarah: Nature has always been a source of inspiration. The shapes are appealing to me as well as the inherent strength and beauty that I find in nature. I am also always thinking of the person that will be wearing the jewelry…. how does it relate to the body? … what emotion or style am I trying to evoke? There has to be a connection between the jewelry and the woman wearing it. Jewelry is often an extension of our own style, personality, even our mood. The three elements that I am always striving to capture in my jewelry are elegance, strength, natural beauty.
Trish: What fashion trends, if any, are influencing your jewelry?
Sarah: Ya know, the funny thing is, I feel like trends change way too fast for me to be able to keep up with! I try to create pieces that are timeless which means they may reflect a trend from today or from fifty years ago. My latest collection, “Mod”, was definitely inspired by the trend of graphic botanical prints that I have been seeing a lot of in Miami. Then again, I designed a collection of belt buckles that were in spired by 1970’s metalwork and… insects! Influences come from all over the place. Current trends are just one small aspect of my inspiration… and they often come and go too quickly for me to even have a chance to digest.
Trish: What does your average day entail?
Sarah: I am currently training for a triathlon as well as running the jewelry business so my days start at about 5:30am. I train first thing in the morning, walk my dog Luna, work work work, and the train again in the evening. You are probably most interested in what the “work work work” entails. Mornings are going through emails and organizing what needs to happen this day or week. It seems that my business works in waves or phases. For about a week I will focus on researching various ways that I can expand my business. This could mean researching new wholesale accounts, doing advertising, researching art shows, websites etc. For the next week I will work on sales: update my Smashing Darling Store, send out a promotional newsletter, contact stores/galleries and try to get new business, etc. The third phase (my favorite part) is all about production: filling orders (hopefully!) and creating new designs. The creation of new designs then feeds back into the first phase because I will hopefully have some new work to promote, advertise, sell, etc.
Trish: What one word describes you most?
Sarah: Heart.
I trust it to tell me what to most of the time (although sometimes I have to let that pesky voice of reason chime in). I have always been encouraged to follow my heart, do what I love… and I would have to say, this is advice that has served me well. I have a smart heart.
Trish: What is the one item in your workshop you can’t live without?
Sarah: My old red hammer! This is my favorite tool! I got it at an appliance resale shop in Santa Monica, CA. It’s old and beat up and has a great texture on the head that I love hammering into my work. I have no idea how old this hammer is or who owned it before me but I love the fact that is has a long history that probably precedes me. My husband once loaned my hammer to a total stranger without me knowing (some guy in the neighborhood need to bang a dent out of his car or something). I was furious when I found out and thought I would never see my beloved hammer again. My husband had no idea what the hammer meant to me at the time. (Trust me, he knows now). A few days passed and the guy came to my door with my hammer and said he was sorry he forgot to bring it back sooner. I jumped for joy (I think I may have even hugged this strange guy). He definitely thought I was crazy.
Trish: How would you describe your personal style? And who or what influences that style?
Sarah: Is “easy going” a style? I think it goes back to being inspired by nature, just being comfortable and not going overboard in terms of clothes, makeup, or even jewelry. If I had nothing but jeans, a tank top, and my favorite necklace to wear the rest of my life I think I’d be okay with that.
Trish: What is your fashion obsession of the moment?
Sarah: Since moving to Miami 2 years ago, I realized how lacking my wardrobe is in bright colors. I have always been an earth tone kind of girl (surprise surprise). So, I don’t know if I’d call it an “obsession”, but I have been trying really hard to infuse my wardrobe with some bright colors inspired by my new tropical environment (without looking like a parrot).
Trish: Are there any events you are getting ready for in the near future?
Sarah: I am getting ready for a jewelry show in Palm Beach to benefit the Palm Beach Hospice. It will be taking place mid August at Zaven Kazens salon. More info to come!
Trish: If there was one designer on Smashing Darling that you could ask a question to who would it be and what would you ask them?
Sarah: I LOVE Dina Varano’s work. I think I would ask her how she finds time to create such intricate sculptural pieces as well as a line of jewelry that seems more “ready to wear”. She truly creates pieces that are all across the board… from delicate little earrings to sculptural necklaces that look like they could hang in a museum. There is a wonderful balance of sculpture and wearability in her pieces that I truly admire.
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