Beautiful white drop pearls and pyrite hang from an etched silver bar. Above, an 8mm pearl is set in a lacy bezel. The ear wires are gold-fill. Vanessa Mellet is a Peruvian American artist, jeweler, and designer. She makes her jewelry by hand in her colorful Oakland, CA studio, surrounded by stacks of luminous gems, trays of work in progress and sleeping cats. She is inspired by the rich colors found in nature and by organic forms like leaves and flowers. Mellet says of her beautiful jewelry, "I design and make all my own components and prioritize domestic handmade production with a lower environmental footprint. By choosing one of my pieces, you drastically lower the carbon footprint and heavy waste from machine-made, imported jewelry." Measures 2 x 1 in.