Meet Your Designer, Michelle
With her efficiency in CAD, Michelle brings a wealth of jewelry fabrication and process knowledge to her clients as they embark on a custom jewelry design. In her personal creative endeavors, Michelle’s voice and fantastical style in her hand-fabricated metal clay work are additional facets of her individuality as a designer. For those new to the world of jewelry, Michelle revels in helping clients discover and bring to life their own visionary works of art, personalized to suit their style.
Hands-On Jewelry Creation
Metal clay was my entry into (un)traditional metalsmithing and jewelry making. As an artist, jewelry has been a method of expression for me. A way to channel how I am feeling or a story to tell, similar to art journaling but on a smaller and wearable scale.
Metal Clay Jewelry
I love experimenting and seeing different ways I can take a technique and give my own spin on it. If I had an artistic superpower, I would say it is the “mash-up”. I love combining and collaging contradictory and possibly contrasting design elements together to tell a story.
As a designer, my goal is creating a piece to not only express a client’s design story or style preferences, but also to create a functional piece to fit their lifestyle.
Custom Ring Designs at Green Lake
Design No. 103034 
Design No. 108774 
Design No. 109646 
Design No. 118323 
Design No. 146747 
Design No. 123490
Combining CAD and Sketching
Usually my process starts with fairly conceptual hand sketches and I use CAD to help me with drafting patterns and for a better understanding of scale.
Flowing Ring Designs
Dramatic sweeping curves and precise twists are aided by the CAD process. Below are a sampling of rings from Michelle ranging from classic to organic that have a unique flow to their design elements.
Design No. 121667 
Design No. 119906 
Design No. 125304 
Design No. 153646 
Design No. 152310
Coordinating Couples’ Sets
What better way to personalize your wedding rings than to have elements of their designs play off each other into a coordinating couples’ set! From complementary engraving patterns to similar natural elements, or locally sourced gemstones, there are so many ways to make your new jewelry have a meaningful pairing. Below, it’s fun to see how different elements of the design contrast so each partner still has individuality and a style that captures their fancy.
Design No. 130217 
Design No. 130760
Design No. 137097 
Design No. 140535
Design No. 105165 
Design No. 106836
Design No. 116909 
Design No. 109545
Floral and Vine Designs
Personalized floral rings are some of our favorites in the studio because they have such personalized stories. Design No. 142100 is inspired by a climbing rose, and was featured in our best rings of 2019! Design No. 130188 features edelweiss blooms in the gallery and shoulders of the ring.
Design No. 127445 
Design No. 130188 
Design No. 130188 
Design No. 142100 
Design No. 132789
A Unique Floral Solitaire
This unique solitaire design by Michelle features a Montana sapphire with a floral cut making it a unique ‘rose brilliant’ shape. At Green Lake, we make 3D scans of each gem so when the ring is built it is designed to perfectly surround and fit the gemstone. This scanning process is especially important when gems are an unusual shape like this custom-cut sapphire! See how Michelle’s initial scan of the sapphire was then incorporated into her final CAD model.
Design No. 108440
Custom Collaborations
Designing with clients, Michelle gets to take their initial inspirations and help them hone in a style and profile that will fit their lifestyle. Below are just some examples from Michelle of how an initial idea can iterate into strikingly unique jewelry designs!
Swirling Vine Sapphire Rings
Design No. 121253 
Design No. 109117 
Design No. 127739
Nature Inspired Pear-Shaped Engagement Rings
Design No. 109545 
Design No. 106375 
Design No. 114434
Perfect Fit Shadow Bands
Finding a matching wedding band to an engagement ring can be a challenge, but not at Green Lake where our shadow bands are just as customized as our engagement rings! A blend of Michelle’s excellent CAD work and collaboration with our wax carvers mean your wedding band will be a beautiful fit when it’s completed.
In Michelle’s Metal Clay Studio
Diana’s Garden Pendant
Amethyst pendant of fine silver with woven seed pearls.
Photo Credit: Sara Ray
Metal Clay Process
Inkwell
Rainbow obsidian, fine silver. Sculpted bail,
“May your words flow freely as ink”
on a bezel cut with electronic paper cutter.
Inspired by Inktober project.
Mermaid Earrings
Modular earrings with client opal quartet.
Garnet Flame
A rough garnet is held in this unique pierced pendant design.
Furl Ring
Deer antler points, fine silver.
Published in Metal clay calendar for RAW (Ring a week) project.
The antler points were naturally shed and given to me by someone who used the larger part to make pool cue furls. The points were too small for their use.
Ursula’s Curse
