Some things…you should never question where they came from: A free drink from the bartender, a five-pound weight loss when you haven’t been exercising or dieting, a 70% sale on designer shoes, random orgasm during spinning.
(Psst, does that last one really happen because sadly, I’ve never experienced it?)
But anyway. I recently had a ring made for me by Mickey Lynn (remember those badass bracelets?), and I decided to put my “investigative journalism” skillz to work and bust up in the Atlanta showroom to get a behind-the-scenes look at how Mickey, her main squeeze Seth, and her awesome team crank out majestic gems like these:
Much of Mickey’s latest collection is made from druzy stones, which makes them especially eye-catching (Dummy definition: A druzy is sets of tiny crystals of minerals that form on the surface of another stone. There are many types of druzy, because there are many types of minerals, but quartz and agate are some of the most common types.).
And this…is where those sparklers come from:
That’s right. A straight…up…ROCK.
But inside that rock is magic like this:
And sometimes this:
And even….this:
I mean…what??
So basically, Mickey and Seth trek to South America, put on their miner hats (which knowing them, are very stylish), and help the local pros dig up these stones and eventually turn them into workable pieces like this:
Which, coupled with this…
…turns into jewelry like this:
For my ring, I chose a purple-y druzy stone and a bezel setting:
After some intense handiwork from Mickey’s talented team, like this flame-blowing…
…and 24-carat gold plating (because the setting was silver, but I wanted gold)…
A stunner was born!
BAM!
But while I was in the showroom, something else besides the baubles caught my eye…
Yes, that’s a crystallized stone shaped like, well, something else that’s rock-hard.
And that is why I love me some Mickey Lynn: A jewelry line with a story AND a sense of humor.
Thanks to the druzy dream team for letting me snoop around!
And if you want to know more about how ugly rocks are turned into pretty pieces of jewelry, check out Mickey and Seth’s trip to South America to source the goods and bring ’em back for your accessorizing addiction:
Now when you wear Mickey Lynn pieces, you’ll know exactly where they came from (and hey, if your bartender likes bling, you may get that free cocktail…).
Rock on,
Ashley