Melissa Dudley

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Melissa Dudley combines imagination, beauty, and fine craftsmanship to create evocative jewelry. Her pieces are personalized by what motivates her - direction, antiquity, and connection. She believes personal direction is motivated by an internal compass or a person’s feelings. Antiquity guides us and enriches the present. A piece of art can initiate emotional connections.

Melissa received a BFA from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth with a concentration in Metals and Jewelry. She was awarded a prestigious scholarship from her University to study jewelry in Portugal. After graduating, she went on to complete GIA Stone Setting courses in California, and learned the art of making Sailor’s Valentines in Sanibel, Florida. She completed CAD training in Illinois after realizing the importance of using recycled metals and conflict free diamonds whenever possible. For over a decade she enjoyed connecting with people while managing Pageo Jewelers in Nantucket, MA. She has several notable achievements. This includes a blue ribbon for single piece of jewelry, and another blue ribbon for multiple pieces of jewelry in the 2019 Sanibel Shell Show. Her Nantucket Commemorative Coin has been accepted and added to the Nantucket Historical Association’s permanent collection.

Melissa has been a professional jeweler and year-round resident of Nantucket for over 25 years. She considers jewelry therapeutic. Melissa makes jewelry to inspire, appreciate, or celebrate special moments in people’s lives. She enjoys collaborating with her partner fine artist Christopher Bonelli and 8-year-old son Phoenix. Pieces are made by hand and are often one of a kind. Please check her website for updates. You can meet Melissa at Sustainable Nantucket’s Farmers and Artisans market on Saturdays in season, or make an appointment to visit her studio.