Meet Michal Ettinger | Business Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Michal Ettinger and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michal, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I have always had a dream of having my own jewelry business. It was something I could see for my future, but I never knew exactly when or how it would unfold.

Jewelry was always an accessory; either a friendship bracelet, braided piece of seaweed (IYKYK), puka shell necklace, silver rings (lots of them) from various trips to Baja, Bali silver and other trips abroad.

Life took me on various paths around the world and up and down the California coast.
Along the way, I always weaved in time to make jewelry. It was in San Francisco where I landed and found Scintillant Studio and I honed in on my metalsmith skills.

In 2020, it was time to launch my jewelry business and then the world paused…my two sons didn’t go to school for a year and a half. So I decided to just create and slowly roll out my business. That time had a quietness to it that I flourished and thrived in. Simple times with simple schedules and I created and designed so many collections.

I officially launched my business 3 years ago and have loved offering my jewelry at pop ups, markets and meeting so many wonderful people. Community is everything to me and connecting to the community with my art is truly a gift.

What should our readers know about your business?
I physically enjoy being in the studio where I work in all metals fabricating one of a kind pieces and casting. I design ocean-inspired jewelry, and each piece tells a story, has a flow, and organic texture. The process and elements involved in designing jewelry inspire me. I love to work with organic materials, shells, wood, and transform them into abstract designs.

What does this look like exactly? For example, my new collection La Sirena was inspired by Calico Scallop shells from Floriday. To get the texture I molded, casted, then designed various pieces and molded them again. This is the process that I love, watching something organic become metal! And now this collection includes earrings, necklaces and rings – in Sterling Silver, 18K Plated and Yellow Bronze.

There is always a symbolism to my designs, sometimes it happens during the designing process and sometimes after. In the case of my Starfish Collection, I realized in a future iteration that the starfish is unique because when it loses its arm – it grows back and thus why I call the collection “Grow in Love”.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This question is very timely for me, as I am in the middle of moving back to my hometown of Laguna Beach. I have lived in various places around the world but the last 18 years have been in San Francisco.

So here are my top 3 for each location:

San Francisco
Soul Grind the vibes and the food is beachy and chill + Pacifica hike either Bootleggers stairs or north from Linda Mar or hit Funston but only the south side
Roam the streets of the Mission, see the art, jump into my favorite small market Valencia Farmers Market and get the best avocados + a visit to the jewelry studio (invite only)
Potrero Hill my hood – Farleys + Hazels + Neighbor bakehouse and a hike up to my favorite garden
Laguna Beach
Early morning beach walk, down to the Laguna Saturday Farmers Market and grab bread from Bread Artisan Bakery and a matcha from Cafe Zinc (make sure they top it with fresh mint)
Bead shop Dana Point – truly one of my favorite bead shops still around. They have everything and they are so helpful. I find inspiration here and also just love to browse.
My favorite beach and my jewelry studio (invite only)

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Thinking about this question, I realized that I have two “worlds”; there is the “real world” shoutout and then the “virtual” world shoutout.

Real world is my teacher and my friend Adam Clark. Adam is the founder of Scintillant Studio in the Mission and has been my home studio since my arrival in SF. I have learned so much from him, from my studio mates and from the years of experiences there.

The vibe of the studio is laid back, filled with tools – literally any tool you need is there, and during the pandemic it was my sanctuary.

The style of teacher that Adam is, he lets you learn on your own, you lead. And I think that this is a beautiful way to learn. Because what I have found is that over the years, I learned new skills as I was ready for them, rather than someone saying “ok now you are ready to learn how to prong set.” Adam is a gem, a renaissance man and has now become one of my close friends and family.

Now the “virtual” world, in particular the artists of Instagram. I would never have imagined that I would make friends and find support like I have in this world. But I have.

Of course some of these friends are friends of friends. And then sometimes true strangers who have come into my life and have inspired me to be the artist who I have become and continue to grow into. What I love most about this community is how it has grown, and how we support each other. The encouragement I receive and that I give is truly a blessing.

Website: www.michaldesigns.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michal.designs