Within a mile of her Chicago-Pilsen neighborhood, Melissa Kolbusz finds tons of discarded industrial materials that make fabulous jewelry. Drawing on her BFA in Industrial Design and her design studies in Genova, Melissa stretches jewelry design, [wired] reflects the the strength of her design vision—you might say, “industrial strength”.

The Beginning

In 1998 Melissa prowled Chicago’s Creative Re-Use Center for industrial materials to make jewelry gifts for friends and family. From obsolete industrial gems, she created eye-catching eco-jewelry. Melissa's creations were a big hit, proving that jewelry can be a meeting place for art and industrial design. She launched [wired] and hasn't looked back.

The Heart

Melissa's “found” materials bear a beauty, like transistors and diodes with delicate lettering and varying colors. She loves the feel of neoprene and magnet wire. Each material suggests a design and presents challenges. Melissa handcrafts each piece in limited quantities -- while reducing the burden on landfills.

The Highlights

Melissa hopes to help people "rethink the way they view adornment and in the process have some tiny part in shaping the future." We laud Melissa for demonstrating so beautifully that industrially-obsolete materials can find new life as adornment while helping us discover a new way of thinking about environment. Melissa's work has been featured on NPR's All Things Considered, on NBC5's Style File in Chicago and in two books, Green Design and Recycle: The Essential Guide.

We’re thrilled to offer Melissa’s sustainable, wearable eco-art -- it'll last more than a lifetime!