Melissa McClure's Jewelry Alchemy
Filed under: Jewelry
Los Angeles-based goldsmith and jewelry designer Melissa McClure calls her line of organic jewelry Jewelry Alchemy and takes inspiration from nature's delicate yet strong shapes. Her pieces are made from 18K and 22K gold and painstakingly individually forged and hand hammered. Her most popular items have a twig motif and she recently designed a one-of-a-kind twig and hummingbird necklace for a Vanity Fair photo shoot starring Seth Rogen as Frida Kahlo. One of the most extravagant twig pieces she has created is is the double helix. More than a bracelet, it is an 18K sculpture meant to curve around the forearm. It is available in red or yellow gold and sells for $8,195.
Ok, we all saw the movie The Blood Diamond a while back and can no longer avoid contemplating the probability that the sparkly rocks on the market today were perhaps obtained by violence, human-rights abuses, child-labor, or environmental destruction. I practically swore-off buying diamonds all-together after seeing the movie -- for about a week. As conscientious consumers, we therefore must seek out alternative and ethical sources for our need to shine. 
