Who Made Your Piece
Who made your piece?
Each tag has an initial in the top right corner, and these initials correspond to the artisan who made your piece. We take great pride in the craftsmanship and quality of each of our pieces. However, our designs would remain two-dimensional if not for the incredible team of artisans who work for MILLIANNA. We are fortunate to work both with individual artisans from Spokane, as well as with World Relief Spokane. This organization helps resettle refugees in the U.S. by providing English classes, employment services, and educational information, among a host of other services designed to make these new Americans feel at home and thrive. We hold training courses for those interested and are happy to report that many of those refugees have become our most reliable and skilled artisans! MILLIANNA is proud to support this organization and these determined women, and our work with these women is in part what makes our work so gratifying. Most of our production takes place in Spokane, WA or New York City.
UR - Urmila
Urmila started off on our production team and is one of our most prolific artisans. From Nepal, she came to Spokane with her Bhutanese husband as a refugee through the World Relief Organization in 2014. Urmila is very talented, having taught English in Nepal, and is adeptly adapting to life in Spokane. When she started working with us in 2014, Urmila was a beginner in bead weaving. Now, she has become one of our most proficient beaders. Her enthusiasm, willingness to learn new designs, and attention to detail has made her one of our most talented artisans. Urmila now also works in our corporate office and manages shipping and production. Urmila makes a wide range of pieces, from the Micro Cuff, Spencer and Single Strand to the more intricate Corinne, Geta Earrings and Nola Earrings.
PR - Paw
Paw is one of our talented bead weavers. She came to the US in 2015 as a refugee from Burma through the World Relief Organization with her family and three young children. In early 2016, she began to work for MILLIANNA on the production team. A hard worker and an adept bead weaver, she is detail oriented and has beautiful workmanship. Her sewing experience in Burma has helped her immensely, and she loves to use her skills to create pieces. Paw makes many of our intricate pieces such as the Andromeda Collar, Nola Earring, Madison Earring, Corinne, Web Choker and Web Necklace, among many others!
EW - Eh Wah
Eh Wah is part of our production team and came to the US in 2008 from Burma, after living in a refugee camp in Thailand for several years. She began to work for MILLIANNA in 2017. Though she had little experience with beading in her home country, she is a natural and quickly picks up new techniques. Detail-oriented, she utilizes a variety of techniques from hand weaving to stringing. She makes the Micro Cuff, the Aire necklace, the Geta Petites, and Nolas, among many other styles.
TN - Thao
Thao is part of our production team, and also works at our corporate office as a Production Associate in Spokane. She came to the U.S. from Vietnam to pursue her college education, and recently graduated from Gonzaga University with a B.A. in Business Administration. Thao loves to make things - she usually spends her free time making origami and decorating crafts. Therefore, when she heard about MILLIANNA, she felt a bond with the company right away. She makes different styles for MILLIANNA, such as the Cella cuff, Geta cuff, and Yves Necklace. If you ever call the office, you will most likely speak with her!
SL - Sarah
Sarah joined the design and production team at MILLIANNA in 2017. Born and raised in the U.S., she has lived "a little bit of everywhere" west of the Mississippi. She has over ten years of experience in making jewelry, and brings a wide array of jewelry-making techniques to her pieces, including hand knotting, looming, wire wrapping, stringing and weaving. She loves the creativity that goes into the design process, and loves when she sees women wearing a piece that she made. She makes a variety of pieces, including the Amazon Cuffs, the Lucia, the Erte Collection, and Sabrina Necklace, among others.
IM - Ivonne
Ivonne is the newest member of the MILLIANNA team! She works both in design and on production. Originally from Ecuador, she came to the U.S. in 1990 with her family, seeking a better life. She has been making jewelry for 28 years, and brings new techniques, ideas and inspiration to MILLIANNA's collections. She loves to play with colors and create beautiful jewelry. In her spare time, she enjoys reading. Ivonne makes a variety of pieces including Amalfi Necklace, Sicilia Earrings and the Filigree Body Chain.
SS - Suzanne
Suzanne is a local, from Spokane! She started with MILLIANNA in 2017 as a beading novice. Now, however, she is a master at crimping, bead stringing and knotting - she makes the Single Strand, Micro Cuff 1", the Oretta, and the Stellan, among many other styles! She enjoys opera, cooking, and is an avid supporter of the Gonzaga University basketball team (Go Zags!). She loves being able to create something beautiful from just beads and wire!
TP - Tulasha
Tulasha came to the U.S. from Nepal in 2009. Her parents hoped to create a better future and provide more educational opportunities for their children. Tulasha loves to use her creativity to make new pieces and is always eager to learn new techniques. She has been with MILLIANNA's production team since 2015, and makes a variety of cut crystal pieces, such as the Francesca Long, the Spencer, Lucia, and the Micro Cuff, among a plethora of other styles!