Salikas' Jewels

I am an established jewelry artist in Detroit, MI With the tag-line "Elegance Reborn and Redefined," Salikas’ Jewels is Handmade Artisan Jewelry With A Touch Of Flair... Designed & Handcrafted With Love! Jewelry is art that can be worn, in other words... wearable art. It’s something you can actually wear as a personal artistic expression. It's such a high when someone tries on one of my pieces and falls in ❤. I'm always humbled when clients share how many compliments they get when they wear a piece from Salikas' Jewels. Making jewelry feeds my soul. The most satisfying to me is when a piece of my jewelry finds its owner, because I know these pieces do not belong to me. They exist to serve someone else. I love that making jewelry gives me the time and opportunity to fully commit to my creative process. It allows me to tap into the positive energy inside me that wants to be expressed. Being committed to my creative process cultivates self-awareness, a knowingness of my intrinsic worth, and a potential that continues to open new doors of experience for me. Creating something of value for someone else, something that hopefully can help remind them of their own self-worth and purpose as a soul in this world, is very satisfying. Custom handmade jewelry is always unique and special because of the time, effort and sentiment that goes into creating each piece. Objects have life, and we put life into it when we create with love. Jewelry has a soul because of the work and love put into it. It speaks to you. The power is in the intention, and the positive heart behind the process is what makes it special. Making unique jewelry is what truly speaks to me. Uniqueness is something people want and it makes people happy. That in turn makes me happy! The Purpose - My jewelry line is built around kindness, compassion, eco-friendliness, charity work and supporting fellow small local and USA based businesses. Eco-friendliness is very dear to my heart because when it comes to improving the environment, every effort, big or small counts. Building a culture of sustainability by making a conscious effort to reduce carbon footprints... all while turning out gorgeous bling, I use recycled precious metals as much as possible, gemstones, fair trade beads and other vintage materials like watch gears and select flatwear. For many of my designs, I upcycle rejected cutlery/vintage flatware and transform it into striking and uniquely crafted jewelry. From old and unwanted knives, forks and spoons, I often craft artistic and unique rings, bracelets, necklaces. Each piece is unique, its form dictated by the form and patterns on the cutlery from which it is crafted. It's history, individuality and enduring nature is alluring. It has a way of being with you for a long time. Stripped of their original value, these recycled materials are transformed into steampunk etc., using watch gears or other one-of-a-kind creations that transcend traditional forms and challenge stereotypes. Some of my designs are created in just a few hours while others can take a month or more to bring from the realm of my imagination to reality. I take great pride in personally handling each facet of the process, which includes sourcing quality metals, handpicking each stone, designing every piece, and dedicating myself to creating a beautiful and one-of-a-kind piece of art. My creative process: I usually fall in love with a particular stone, freshwater pearl, crystals, particular watch gears etc., and I start to get an idea of how I want to incorporate them into the design... whether it’s going to be a necklace, a bracelet or a pair of earrings. Once the design is conceptualized and finalized, I get to work and start to make that particular piece of jewelry. I also like collaborating with other artists or even my with my clients and customers, to create other custom designs. Description of Material and Technique… My jewelry making process combines traditional techniques like wax carving, soldering, welding, crafting, gem setting and polishing among new ones like CAD jewelry design and laser cutting. Charities… Giving back is one of the core values of my jewelry line and one of the main principals for the line’s existence. I donate to various women & children’s charities and youth organizations. ***Note*** The last couple of years of being in this pandemic has been challenging to say the least. Many have had to pivot on so many levels. I want to share something amazing that happened to me, shortly after our world turned upside down: On September 17th of 2020, I woke up to an email from the folks at United Artists. They were contacting me regarding the upcoming Biopic movie 🎬 RESPECT about the legendary Aretha Franklin. The Queen of Soul’s historic roots were based in Detroit and they felt my company could be a great fit for a potential promotional partnership with the film. They told me... "We love your jewelry and heard great things about you..." Wow!! It had been decided to utilize local Detroit Black Female-Owned Businesses to create custom made items for the film. After a initial conference call to hear more about me and my company, a relationship ensued and a year's journey began... of Salikas' Jewels creating something special for this endeavor. It was not only an honor being asked to create for the film, but the entire process was some of the most satisfying and important work I've done... and I've done a lot. Late last year, MGM decided to push back the movie release date from December 2020 to August 13, 2021, tomorrow, to give it a chance to play in theaters only. As a preview to its national release, I'm sharing the gold keychain (600 pieces) here that I custom made for the film. I designed black magnetic boxes with gold foil printing atop the cover. Inside the boxes I had custom foam inserts designed to hold the keychains and a special card insert inside for the cards which show the official movie treatment cover on one side and a brief bio of my involvement on the back side. Additionally, I created RESPECT necklaces in silver, gold & rose gold that are available for purchase, in commemoration of my participation on this wonderful project. I hope you all go see the movie and enjoy it. I predict Jennifer Hudson will earn her 2nd Oscar nomination... and win... deservedly so!!