Vanessa Mellet, unlike most women her age, has almost thirty years of experience making and selling jewelry. Vanessa’s first artistic exposure came at the tender age of eight when a trendy boutique in Brazil carried her work. The formative years of her life were spent in South America, where the vivid colors of local markets, traditional costumes and the vibrancy of nature left a permanent mark on her aesthetic sense. It was not a mistake that she chose the life of an artist, creativity and a love of art and adornment run in the family. Vanessa is the daughter of jewelers Musi and Bernarr Hunt, and it was working with them that she got her start. She began her career working as Musi’s apprentice before launching her own line at the age of twenty one.

Vanessa has explored various mediums, paper making, drawing, clothing design and collage art before focusing her talents exclusively on jewelry. She has studied jewelry making and design with Musi, metal smithing and casting with Dawn Nakanishi and various enamel techniques with Sandie Bradshaw and Judy Stone. Her creativity with color, and love of mixing mediums and textures, lend a unique and bohemian air to her work.

She is inspired by the rich colors found in nature and by the perfection of organic forms like leaves and flowers. Her work embodies her romantic view of life, birds and flower motifs abound and yet her look never ceases to be modern and chic in its execution. She finds inspiration in antique Victorian and Greek jewelry, vintage Mexican and Peruvian earrings, the work of masters like Lalique as well as every day items like a piece of lace, a fallen leaf or the colors of a piece of fruit. She currently exhibits her work at various galleries throughout the United States and at premier craft events around California.