Her eye for detail and form was taught by her father on his architect's drafting table as they built cardboard building models, and by her mother's interior decorating fabric and wallpaper samples. Her love for fashion design brought her to study at Parsons in New York for a summer, and in college she later released several whimsical collections on the "runway" at the Scripps College coffee shop modeled by her friends and classmates.
As a photography major, she found great interest in printmaking, painting, sculpture, and ceramics. She found confidence in the wood shop building large canvases to paint, and in the metal shop welding and soldering large iron, brass, and copper sculptures. On a whim, she took a jewelry making class over the summer in 2004 with her mom to bond as beginners taking on a new hobby, and discovered this incredible new passion and life trajectory. Creating jewelry encompasses all of the tools and techniques of architecture and sculpture on a more miniature scale, and also color theory with wearable form.
After she graduated from SMU, Melissa attended the Gemological Institute of America, where she received three degrees - Graduate Gemologist, Graduate Jeweler, and Applied Jewelry Arts (now Jewelry Design and Technology). She worked for private jewelers in San Diego, Beverly Hills, and Malibu before launching Spencer Fine Jewelry in 2015. Her award-winning designs earned Rising Star and Best in Show accolades, and she served on the Board of the Womens Jewelry Association in Los Angeles.
In forming the Spencer Collection, Melissa expands her vision to include gemstones for our entire lifestyle. From wearable fine jewelry innovations to home furnishings such as end tables, mirror frames, bowls, and even full room installations. She is passionate about gemstones related to health and technology in the form of the Amethyst Biomat and Healy healing frequencies which are the cutting edge of science and medicine.
As a photography major, she found great interest in printmaking, painting, sculpture, and ceramics. She found confidence in the wood shop building large canvases to paint, and in the metal shop welding and soldering large iron, brass, and copper sculptures. On a whim, she took a jewelry making class over the summer in 2004 with her mom to bond as beginners taking on a new hobby, and discovered this incredible new passion and life trajectory. Creating jewelry encompasses all of the tools and techniques of architecture and sculpture on a more miniature scale, and also color theory with wearable form.
After she graduated from SMU, Melissa attended the Gemological Institute of America, where she received three degrees - Graduate Gemologist, Graduate Jeweler, and Applied Jewelry Arts (now Jewelry Design and Technology). She worked for private jewelers in San Diego, Beverly Hills, and Malibu before launching Spencer Fine Jewelry in 2015. Her award-winning designs earned Rising Star and Best in Show accolades, and she served on the Board of the Womens Jewelry Association in Los Angeles.
In forming the Spencer Collection, Melissa expands her vision to include gemstones for our entire lifestyle. From wearable fine jewelry innovations to home furnishings such as end tables, mirror frames, bowls, and even full room installations. She is passionate about gemstones related to health and technology in the form of the Amethyst Biomat and Healy healing frequencies which are the cutting edge of science and medicine.