Since moving down here to South Florida 5 years ago, I have met some wonderful individuals & families. One of my absolute favorite sister-friends is Ngozi Selassie. We met through her husband's yoga class & remain connected, she's the only one who does my hair and she really became like instant family. I have been buying hand-crafted jewelry from Ngozi for years so I figured it was time for a major shout out.
Miami Culture Maven: Hey Ngozi long time no see! How's everything?
Ngozi Selassie: I'm doing well Tracy Ann, you know Sahle is turning 13 right!
MCM: OMG time really is flying! So let's get down to business. Where are you originally from?
NS: I'm from Miami, born & raised.
MCM: Wow, it's great to know somebody from Miami who is fully engulfed in a cultural lifestyle. Can you tell me a little bit on how you got started making jewelry?
NS: Well I always wanted to make jewelry since I was a little girl but I was afraid. When I got laid off in 2006 I started to rely more on my talents to bring in income, as you know I also specialize in natural hair care. Anyways, my first jewelry pieces were made of hemp & gradually I gravitated more towards precious gemstones & those also became my best selling items.
MCM: That's great, I'm glad you overcame your fear. Sometimes life has to force us to use our hidden talents for the greater good. I have a pair of your earrings that are a bit unusual, they are quartz crystals set in bullet casings. Tell me more about that series because I've seen you work with bullets in many jewelry pieces.
NS: Well when I first got started with the crystals & gemstones, I didn't have any settings and you know I'm self taught so I had to improvise. I figured the bullets were different & they were easy to get, so that's how the bullet series started.
MCM: It's really my favorite series of yours too, I'm going to get 2 more pairs next time I see you so I can rock 6 bullets at a time. Any events or new projects coming up where we can see your work in person?
NS: Well I'm normally at indie craft fairs & vintage fairs. You know how much I love my vintage! As for now, I just started back making crochet bags, I haven't made any in years and now they're available to the public again.
MCM: I definitely do know Ngozi, you are the Vintage Queen! Where can we see the goods?
NS: Check my etsy page!
Miami Culture Maven
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