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SCAN THIS PAGE
TO SEE MICHELE
SAULSON’S JEWELRY.

M

ichele Saulson doesn’t just love
beautiful things.
She loves to make things
beautiful — and she has a gift for it. She
has even made a few businesses out of it.
Armed with multiple degrees, Saulson
has worked in urban planning and
restoring historic properties, as an interi-
or designer and, most recently, as a jew-
elry designer with flourishing success.
“I’ve been a lifelong crafter and maker
of things,” Saulson says. “My mom is an
artist. I learned how to knit from her
mother, my grandma Fara. I’ve painted
furniture, and I worked with polymer
clay when I was younger.”
About eight years ago, she took a
class in jewelry design and fell in love.
Friends and family clamored for a
Michele Saulson original — exquisite
combinations of metal, stones and glass
with an intrinsic sensibility of faraway
lands. Eventually, she launched Michele
Saulson Designs and has gained a loyal
following, locally and beyond — Reese
Witherspoon, Selma Blair and other
fashion-forward celebs wear Saulson’s
designs.
“For me, the act of creating jewelry is
very cathartic. I get in the zone and love
working for hours,” Saulson says. “And
I love helping people select the perfect
piece for themselves or someone else. I
also love picking out the perfect gift for

continued on page 42

PREVIOUS PAGE: “I love supporting local art-
ists,” Michele Saulson says of her spectacular
choices. The exquisite chandelier — handblown
glass globes in various shapes, sizes, patterns,
textures and tones, including milk glass, smoky
topaz, plums and ambers — was commissioned
from April Wagner, owner of Epiphany Glass
Studio in Pontiac, and suspended at varying
heights. “Every time I walk by the dining room,
I look at it and it makes me so happy,” Saulson
says. The painting resting on the sideboard is
by local artist Ilene Kahan. Saulson first saw
it six years ago at the Birmingham Bloomfield
Art Center and finally purchased it just before
this photo shoot. “When I put this up, I had a
visceral reaction and thought it looked amazing.
It’s a bold, strong contrast to the chandelier,”
she says. A bowl of clementines pop against
the salmon-colored walls. RIGHT: “Get your
kids involved,” Saulson says. “Look outside for
twigs, acorns and pine cones, have them slap
some paint and glitter on and put a bunch in a
glass vase or bowl.”

40

November 15 • 2018

jn