Maracole Bijoux

"I have always loved ornaments that make a noise when their parts collides in the spring of a walk. I think of jewels as something to be perceived with all the senses, something to be enjoyed in many different ways. That is why I am working with seed beads and vintage lucite beads: they inform the eyes through their bright colors, and they carry a modest, enjoyable weight."

Through weaving seed beads, Maracole transmits her artistic voice to jewelry making; her jewelry is rather dimensional and geometric, and her approach to the ancient craft of bead weaving is mainly sculptural. Her learning process is ongoing and she is constantly experimenting with new ideas to create ornaments that people can wear, and also play with.

Mara is able to turn beads into something luxurious, by tuning into a contemporary language. She conceived a sturdy, flexible bead mesh, that she manipulates as if it was a paper cut out, to focus on the shape of her creations, rather than the transition between one stitch to another. Her main challenge is to combine forms and colors to convey an emotion, while keeping her work light and dynamic.

Maracole was born and raised in Italy, where she received an education in drawing animation. She moved to Los Angeles in 2008 to pursue a career in children's entertainment, and she started exhibiting her artworks at iconic pop art galleries. She discovered seed beads in 2018 and founded Maracole Bijoux. Her jewelry has since been featured in art and fashion magazines, as well as at international art fairs.