South End Gems

Any South End local will recognize the name Michele Mercaldo, whose jewelry business has been deeply rooted in the neighborhood for over three decades. Michele belongs to the South End’s pioneering generation of artists, an eclectic, dynamic group that paved the way for the thriving community that now calls SoWa home. Before setting up her studio, she studied at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design and pursued curiosities for printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, and woodworking. However, it was jewelry that finally captured her heart, and by 27, she had completed her first collection to show at the American Craft Council Circuit, officially launching her career. 

Inspiration and Collaboration

Today, Michele can be found at 46 Waltham Street in a sun-drenched studio tucked away from the South End’s more heavily beaten paths. She no longer needs the foot traffic—after 35 years, people know where to find her. Michele makes all her jewelry in-house, in a workshop almost as visually intriguing as the showroom itself. Upon entering her space, you’ll walk through a small gallery where she displays the work of local artists she partners with on a regular basis. Her simple display cases glitter with pieces from her collection, which she pulls out one by one for me to examine oh-so-carefully, explaining the inspiration behind them with an enthusiasm as fresh as if they are newly finished. 

Self-described as a “minimalist and a modernist,” Michele specializes in pieces defined by their architectural elegance—strikingly sculptural shapes, geometric patterns, playful intercourse between various metals, stones, and the occasional “found object.” She has also developed something of a reputation for custom work, particularly for people who want a piece to have special meaning. She describes clients who have brought in existing pieces or even loose stones that belonged to family members that they are hoping to incorporate into a new design. Working closely with these clients to realize their vision, Michele has often found inspiration through collaboration. 

“I’ve been dying to make more of these,” she says, showing me a custom locket with a magnetic clasp she designed for a woman who brought in a double strand of pearls she was hoping to make less “Barbara Bush” and more “Chanel.” The final design included a sapphire from the client’s mother, which held particular sentimental value. “It’s always great to make people happy,” she says, referring to the significance jewelry so often carries. “It’s one of the reasons I continue to do this kind of work.” 

A South End Love Story

While Michele has occupied her current studio space for just over two years, her history with the building itself goes back much further. “I met my husband in this building, can you believe that?” she tells me, referring to architect Gary Knell, to whom she gives credit for the design of all her studio locations over the years. Nestled in a discreet courtyard, 46 Waltham once included an old elevator shaft that had been converted into a collection of small studios stacked one on top of the other, two of which were rented by Michele and her future husband back in the ’90s. “He and his still-business partner from college…they were renting up on the fifth floor, and they came down to ask to borrow my belt sander,” she laughs. 

A more artistic meet-cute there never was. 

After a few years of living together in a loft on the artist-dominated Harrison Avenue, Michele and her husband joined the first generation of artists to move into the newly opened Laconia Lofts, an innovative new live-work space specifically designed for artists. With its location between Washington Street and Harrison Avenue, Laconia Lofts sat on what was then the riskier cusp of the South End. “There was nothing there,” Michele remembers, describing their early days at Laconia, when she would travel out of her way to try and avoid the dark, deserted streets around their building. On the other hand, it was unquestionably the place to be as a young Boston artist in the ’90s. “We were really fortunate because we got to have that fun when it was all artists living there,” Michele reminisces. “There was always some event or party. It was a real group. I don’t know what the artist kids are going to do these days.” 

The Next Generation

One of those “artist kids” is Michele’s own son, Ethan, who helps his mom in her studio in between studying gemology in New York. When asked if he hopes to open his own studio someday, Ethan smiles. “I would want to take over this establishment,” he says. Michele, who will have been running her business for 40 years come January, is looking forward to sharing some of her responsibilities with Ethan, who admits he has inherited a passion for jewelry making and design from his mom. With a mother-son collaboration in the works, and the next generation eager to continue her legacy, “We’re feeling really fortunate,” Michele says. 

And while the culture may have shifted over the last 30-odd years, there seems to be a bright future for artists in the South End nonetheless. “I think there’s still a pretty good stronghold,” Michele tells me, referring to 450 Harrison Avenue—affectionately known simply as “450”—home to over 80 artists in the heart of the SoWa Art + Design District, and headquarters of the SoWa Artists Guild. They’re even encroaching on her turf, Michele tells me laughingly. On Oct. 1, 38 new artists moved into the building where Michele has her store, which has been expanded to accommodate more studio space. It seems her building, like the neighborhood, and indeed Michele’s own business, will be in safe hands with the next generation of creatives, who remain committed to keeping the South End as the beating heart of Boston’s art scene.