Emiko Miyazawa was born into a family of creatives. Her great-grandmother crafted Japanese dolls, her aunt was a Nihon-buyo dancer, and her father was a traditional sushi chef. Born in Japan and raised in Los Angeles, Miyazawa grew up immersed in two polar opposite cultures. She had to balance the expectations of a traditional Japanese family with the American way of life. It has influenced her creativity aesthetically and conceptually, and she came to appreciate and embrace both extremes. Her move to Honolulu 13 years ago has helped her combine both influences into her work and birthing her jewelry brand M33MS in 2013.

 

Miyazawa's professional career began in 2003 as a design and production assistant for an L.A based jewelry designer. She exhibited at Jewelers Association shows in New York City. Miyazawa is a self-taught designer and a Graduate Gemologist from the Gemological Institute of America. She also worked for Patek Philippe, where she acquired an affinity for timepieces and the intricacies of their mechanical movements, a recurring kinetic theme that could be seen in her designs today.

 

Miyazawa approaches each piece as a wearable piece of art. She meshes Japanese and American cultures to create a sense of boldness and edge, as seen in M33Ms's juxtaposition of clean lines using elegant restraint. "I enjoy making simple pieces so that they are timeless and versatile to any age and style. In addition to the visual experience, I added kinetic features to allow a wearable experience. Whether the emotion it evokes is surprise, nostalgia, or love, I create works in hopes that it is a portal for a connection to the things that can only be felt with the heart."

 

M33Ms work reflects Miyazawa's penchant for melding creativity with functionality. From a distance, her designs appear deceptively simple. Up close, their versatility is revealed in wearer-friendly details, such as length-adjustable chains and clever movable elements meant to delight and surprise. Pieces that appear solid are split apart to reveal hidden gems and movable parts that can be worn in a multitude of ways.

 

Currently, Emiko Miyazawa works out of her atelier and storefront, MISÉ Hawaii in Moiliili.