FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM SEPTEMBER 2, 2021 • BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER 47
Made in Queens: Jewelry maker’s bee charm is a celeb favorite
BY TAMMY SCILEPPI
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Activist, jewelry designer and bee enthusiast
Michele Benjamin loves Mother
Nature’s amazing off erings. And since she
was always interested in jewelry-making
and art, the Forest Hills-based, Made in
Queens (MiQ) maker felt compelled to
capture a variety of cute little critters, in the
form of eye-catching, aff ordable charms
that symbolize wildlife conservation, women’s
empowerment and other causes.
“I enjoy observing the beauty in nature
and then translating it into jewelry, portraying
my impressions of starfi sh, dragonfl
ies, butterfl ies, bumblebees and more,”
Benjamin said. “As an artist, I’m always on
the lookout for new ideas that inspire my
designs. I was creating organic shapes that
developed into nature-inspired designs
and the bee charm was created two years
into my jewelry practice in sterling silver
design work.”
Th at unique bee also appears in her logo
and trademark.
Th e designer’s heirloom quality collections
are off ered in art galleries, cultural
institutions and boutiques in the U.S., as
well as online nationally and internationally.
Her iconic bee design can be seen at
the Whitney Museum of American Art
Shop in Manhattan, Bruce Museum Store,
on the runway at New York Fashion Week
(NYFW) and on Amazon.
Benjamin emphasized that these collections
support several causes near and dear
to her heart, those “that help people in our
communities.”
Th e buzzing bee (part of her 18K gold
vermeil collection) caught the eye of
“Th elma & Louise” star Susan Sarandon,
who can be seen wearing the charm necklace
to a recent 30th anniversary reunion
event for the movie in Los Angeles, as she
posed for the paparazzi on the red carpet
with co-star Geena Davis.
And the same photo was featured again
on “CBS Sunday Morning News” on July
25, which aired an interview with Jane
Pauley and Davis on improving opportunities
for women in the fi lm industry.
Sarandon purchased her bee at the
Whitney Museum Shop, according to the
designer, who told QNS that she’s very
proud of her Made in NYC status as well.
Both Made in Queens and Made in
NYC support local manufacturers, designers,
artists and makers in the fi ve boroughs
and in Queens.
“Th ey recognize the amount of work that
goes into creating our products, for both
the creativity and also the manufacturing
aspects, and promote local designers and
manufacturers by connecting us with New
York audiences,” Benjamin said.
Made in NYC and Made in Queens
provide retail venues, workspaces,
incubators, workshops, pop-up
shops and seasonal markets. Th ey
promote makers in person, by
email blasts and on their websites.
And, since creatives never stop creating,
there was also a pivot to off er virtual
workshops and other networking opportunities
when COVID-19 hit.
“By off ering NYC and Queens makers
all types of interesting, innovative ways to
market our products, they instill a sense
of belonging and entice more exchanges
among the designers, and as a result, we
have gotten to know each other and enjoy
being a part of something larger, while having
our creations represented by them,”
Benjamin added.
Th is “NY Tough” maker always believed
in giving back.
“During COVID, I pivoted, adding custom
embroidered bee and liberty masks,
and donated hundreds of PPE fabric masks
to essential workers and their families,
while continuing to create jewelry,” she
said. “I donate jewelry to silent actions and
also make designs for fundraising, in order
to support organizations like Housing
Works, Big Brother/Big Sister, Empowers
Africa and more in order to provide food,
medicine, housing, to the underserved.”
According to the MiQ maker, her oneof
a-kind women’s empowerment pieces
have a lot of meaning behind them.
Th e purple pansy design represents the
purple fl owers worn by women Suff ragettes
in the late 19th to early 20th centuries. On
the back of each piece, an equal sign (=)
symbolizes equality.
Activist jewelry designs are inspired by
the Statue of Liberty crown and also boast
an equal sign for equality, in support of
equal rights, women’s rights and gender
equality. Other activist liberty designs contain
the words, “persist,” “love,” “pride” and
“ERA” – all with an equal sign.
The backstory
“I began my career working in a Madison
Avenue Gallery, where I met art dealers
who sold jewelry, prints and paintings
made by well-known artists, such as
Picasso, Miro and Leger,” Benjamin said.
Aft er earning a BA in art history from
Arizona State University, she completed
post-graduate studies at Parsons School
of Design and specialized jewelry design
courses at Fashion Institute of Technology
(FIT), including fabrication techniques,
lost wax and professional jewelry
production methods.
While her home studio is where the
magic happens, the artist has jewelry
manufacturing facilities that produce
her designs, both in Queens
and in the Jewelry District in
Manhattan. She creates volume
orders of jewelry for
customers, both nationally
and internationally.
The busy creative
has worked on
projects with U.S.
Congr e s swoman
Carolyn Maloney,
creating a pin for the
promotion of the
National Women’s
History Museum at
the Smithsonian.
Her collections are
certifi ed as “Made in
New York” through
the New York
E c onomi c
Development Corp. Her “Key to the City”
necklace and liberty pin designs were commissioned
by New York City Store, located
in Downtown Manhattan at City Hall.
In June 2019, Benjamin served as arts
envoy on behalf of the U.S. Department
State, teaching jewelry, art and women’s
entrepreneurship skills to promote women’s
empowerment in Cambodia, and wildlife
conservation in Laos.
In November 2019, she received a Global
NY STEP grant from the New York State
Economic Development Corporation for
travel to Dubai, including Gold Key Service
from the U.S. Department of Commerce,
in order to promote “Made in New York”
products overseas.
Th e bee jewelry was created in 2014
and introduced into the Whitney Museum
Shop shortly aft er the inauguration of the
new Whitney Museum of American Art
building by architect Renzo Piano, in 2015,
according to Benjamin.
“Th ere has been a very popular selection
of bee off erings in multiple iterations,
including necklaces, charms and pins,
since 2015,” Benjamin said. “Currently, the
Whitney Shop is featuring the bee pins in
sterling silver, 18K rose and yellow goldplated
sterling silver.”
So, what does the bee symbolize?
Benjamin said it is representative of the
extended Whitney family, and the hive is
symbolic of the Whitney Museum – “a
home for artists and art lovers.”
“Th e real beehive, located on the rooftop
of the Whitney, produces fl ora honey,
which ‘sweetens’ the art world and our
daily lives,” Benjamin said.
Th ese days, everybody can use a heft y
dose of sweetness in their lives.
To see or shop MiQ jewelry pieces and
prices, visit michelebenjamin.com or
Amazon.com.
buzz
Photo via Getty Images/Amy Sussman
Made in Queens (MiQ) jewelry designer/maker Michele Benjamin’s iconic bee charm caught the eye
of “Thelma & Louise” star Susan Sarandon (l.), who can be seen above wearing the charm necklace to
a recent 30th anniversary reunion event for the movie, in Los Angeles, as she posed for the paparazzi
on the red carpet with co-star Geena Davis.
Photo courtesy of Michele Benjamin
Made in Queens (MiQ) jewelry designer/maker
Michele Benjamin, has been
creating nature-inspired
charm collections that
symbolize a variety
of causes near and
dear to her heart.
Her iconic bee
design is available
at Whitney
Museum of
American Art
Shop, in
Manhattan,
Amazon.
com and
more.
/michelebenjamin.com
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link
/Amazon.com
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