Mikayla is an American jeweller who runs the small business Crystal Frequency. The store operates by upcycling broken, old, thrifted or discarded china dishware into new fine art jewelry. Her customers can also send their old china ware to be transformed into jewelry. This allows her to bring new meaning to the timeless dishware while at the same time repurposing vintage china pieces that would have otherwise been sent to landfills. This is why Mikayla's work is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of Responsible Consumption and Production.
Mikayla started Crystal Frequency in 2018 to channel her passion for beautiful and poetic things. “I love romanticizing my experience of being human with what I wear and adorn myself with,” said Mikayla. This is indeed true when it comes to transforming old dishware into jewelry. The dishware that Mikayla works with is often chipped or broken into pieces. She finds them on seashores, vintage markets and second-hand stores, yet these objects once lived with people before that. Someone once used them to have a calming afternoon tea or breakfast with their family, creating precious memories that Mikayla hopes she can somehow capture in her jewelry.
Her clients also began to send in their pieces of broken or old china dishware. These often came with touching stories of inherited vintage chinas. On one account, a client named Kate sent in their great-grandmother’s set to be turned into necklaces for her granddaughters and great-grandchildren. These sets are proofs of Mikayla’s poetic ideals around old dishware, showing that they are compounds of memories and nostalgia.
Every year, China alone generates 10 million tons of ceramic waste. Despite this reality, ceramic enterprises are least likely to recycle their wastes due to the high costs required to recycle old ceramics when compared to making new objects out of clay. Crystal Frequency’s approach can be sustained due to its nature as a small jewelry business. The added silver to create pendant cases, chains and other jewelry parts to host the recycled china dishware can significantly raise the good selling price, allowing Mikayla to cover the cost of recycling ceramics without worry. Instead, if she were to recycle them into new dishware by putting them together with more clay, it would be much more difficult for her to sell them at a profit.
In today’s world, which is increasingly concerned with environmental impact, Mikayla’s Crystal Frequency stands out by utilizing creativity and innovation to create a sustainable business. She transforms old, broken, or discarded china dishware into exquisite jewelry, which helps her preserve cherished memories and promote responsible consumption at the same time. Crystal Frequency is more than just a jewelry business; it is a showcase of how even a sustainable business can create beautiful, lasting products that are high in demand.
Find out more about Crystal Frequency jewelry by Mikayla and their other initiatives by checking her website www.crystalfrequency.store or Instagram @crystal.frequencyart.