A selection of earrings from our {Pretty Petal} Collection
About {miss meliss}
miss meliss is small business formally established in 2010 specialising in handmade & unique adult and children’s jewellery & all things beady & beautiful. Melissa is miss meliss’s owner, operator, creative director, designer & maker. miss meliss is based in Hackney in Adelaide, South Australia.
For as long as Melissa can remember, she has been creating, back to her primary school days when she would make soaps or knitted Christmas decorations to sell to her class mates. Her creative genes come from her dad who was a hairdresser & floral artist by trade. He was also an expert sewer & made all of her, her sister’s & her mum’s clothes before he died over 13 years ago. Yes, a little unusual, as one normally inherits creative & inspirational genes from mums ….
Melissa’s love for making jewellery began when she was pregnant with her only daughter back in 2005. She is completely self-taught. She has learnt techniques by endless hours of creating, trial & error, experimenting, patience & persistence to hone, refine & extend her now expert skills. She can proudly say that not one u-tube video or internet tutorial has been used throughout her learning process.
miss meliss is a regular on the market scene. She and her team attend markets in metropolitan Adelaide & country South Australia. Some of the regular markets they attend (subject to acceptance of applications) include the Lollipop Markets, KooKy Kidz Market Adelaide, Penny Lane Markets at Mount Barker, KooKy Kidz Market at Moonta, The Jamestown Annual Show & the annual Port Vincent Gala Day. In the past they have also been stallholders at the annual Semaphore Street Fair, North East Kids Market, Barossa & Light Children’s Market, Market Day at Mawson Lakes, Gilles Street Market, Market for Baby & Child, Roxby Downs Market, Mount Barker Market, Markets from the Heart, The West End Market Extravaganza & the annual St Peter’s Fair. To keep up to date with future markets, keep an eye on ‘miss meliss’s markets & upcoming events’ here on our website or check out our ‘markets album’ on our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/missmelissjewellery.
The {miss meliss} product quality – ‘It’s the little things that make the difference’
Outstanding quality is not a given. Our handmade products are made to the highest of standards.
A perfectionist streak & high attention to detail means that many hours are spent getting designs and concepts ‘just right’ before releasing a new design so it is perfectly functional, wearable, durable & will stand the test of time. There is no throwing of things together with a bit of craft glue in the miss meliss studio. Often months, & in some cases years, of planning & experimenting goes into our designs to ensure that you receive the best possible quality product. Melissa has come a long way since those primary school days ….
The {I’m Lost ™} & {Pretty Petal} Collections are two examples of this process. The {I’m Lost ™} identification bracelet and necklace range took over 18 months of planning & experimenting with different designs, concepts & components before settling on the final design that was released.
The {Pretty Petal} Collection underwent a similar process & were not released before months of experimentation. Most of that experimentation was to do with glue choice: we wanted to find a glue that was robust enough to take the wear and tear of everyday use, especially for the rings. These products are made by a process of hand scoring & sanding & hand mixing a glue compound. They are then adhered by hand & left to cure for many days (weather dependent). The earrings are then put through a cleansing & sterilisation process. To us it is these things and this level of handmade attention to detail that make the difference & are the things that set us apart from the rest.
The {miss meliss} product range
Although we do repeat some of our more popular designs & ranges, most of our pieces are one of a kinds (OOAK’s). With our popular repeat designs & ranges, we try to use different beads in each piece, so each one has its own uniqueness & independence in the creative making process. Even for those pieces that are similar, as they are handmade, no two pieces are ever exactly the same.
Our complete range includes necklaces, bracelets, earrings, jewellery sets, rings, brooches, bookmarks, mobile telephone tags, key rings, hang bag chains, charm bracelets, charms, children’s school bag key chains (including personalised named designs), personalised children’s name bracelets & necklaces, children’s beaded hanging mobiles & clips.
Our pieces are made from a wide selection of bead types including ribbon, material/fabric (including vintage sourced materials, lace & ribbons), semi-precious, glass, wood, acrylic, handmade, painted, plastic (some of the children’s range) resin & felt. Our colour range is broad, from the bright & bold to the pastel & traditional.
We have wide range of designs & styles. There really is something to suit all tastes.
We also take custom orders: check out our {Custom Orders} page tab for some examples. If there is something special you have in mind, just drop us a line. We also do basic remakes and repairs. Some examples of our work can be found in our {Custom Orders} page tab. In both cases we work with you within your budget & your requirements to achieve your desired results.
Demand for our ‘Pretty Petal Ring & Earring Collections’ has exceeded our expectations & are by far our most popular line. We are regularly selling out of this range & are struggling to keep up with the demand. Our customers are happy to be put on a wait list for these handmade little beauties! We are looking at developing new items in this range due to their popularity. We have been approached to sell these in retail stores.
Our innovative children’s product, our {I’m Lost ™} identification bracelets & necklaces were released in June & are also experiencing unprecedented popularity: within 48 hours of release on our Facebook page we had over 25 shares of the release post & over 30 new likers. In the weeks after the release, we gained over a 100 new likers. A massive record for us! The release of the ‘boys’ version saw an even greater reaction and more Facebook fans and shares. We are absolutely thrilled with the response to this product so far & the orders continue to come ine. We are looking to expand this range into other similar areas & are hoping to have those products developed and released in the not too distant future. So watch this space …..
We have recently released a ‘vintage’ inspired range, aptly named the {Vintage Collection}. This collection is a series of pieces made from mostly authentic vintage lace, doilies or other pre-loved items such as Scrabble® tiles. Yes, what used to be grandma’s tablecloth, dresser runner, curtains or that game of Scrabble® that you used to play with, have been up-cylced into funky & wearable pieces of jewellery! These too have been a hit with our current customers & have widened our customer appeal & base.
As part of continued commitment to innovation, just after Christmas we released a new product with Sonia from Sonni Lou Designs, the {Rainbow Connection}. These necklaces are a unique and completely one of a kind piece for all ages. The pendants are personalised with your letter of choice, strung on tiger tail with matching beads in the colours of the rainbow & finished off with a quality clasp. They can also be strung on elasticised stringing material for those a little younger. These have been a massive hit & we are again seeing never seen before orders & sale numbers. miss meliss just keeps going from strength to strength ….
Where you can buy {miss meliss} pieces
You can buy miss meliss products via our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/missmelissjewellery or at any of the regular markets we attend. Keep an eye on ‘miss meliss’s markets & upcoming events’ here on our website or again, check out our ‘markets album’ on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/missmelissjewellery.
As mentioned above, a lot of our pieces are OOAK’s, so we don’t list all our pieces on Facebook. So your best bet to see our complete range is to visit us at one of the markets we attend.
If there is something that you don’t see here on our website or on our Facebook page, please feel free to email us at missmelissjewellery.com because it is more than likely that we may have a piece in stock to suit your needs.
We accept cash payments or EFTPOS in person. Otherwise payment can be made by direct deposit/EFT or by credit card.
w: www.missmelissjewellery.com
f: www.facebook.com/missmelissjewellery
