About

Maresse is a collection of hand carved jewelry created by Hawaii born and raised designer Traci Michelle. Currently based in Japan, Traci hand carves all her original designs out of jewelers wax which are then cast into precious metals with the help of skilled craftspeople in Japan. Each piece is made with a focus on quality and craftsmanship that is made to wear and made to last for years to come.

Traci earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Hawaii and then worked as an exhibit designer in Honolulu before moving to Japan. She officially started Maresse in 2021. Even before moving to Japan, she always had a long-time dream of starting her own jewelry collection. After going through some big life changes, she gained the confidence to follow her dreams and finally launched Maresse, combining her passion for jewelry with her background in art and design to create her own jewelry collection.

By sharing her love of jewelry with her wearers, Traci hopes they will enjoy wearing their Maresse pieces for years to come.

 

Maresse Concept

Mare + esse = to be the sea

The meaning of Maresse can be roughly translated as “to be the sea” which is a metaphor for life. Mare is a prefix relating to the sea, and esse means “to be” in Latin. Throughout our lives, we ride out our emotions and things that happen as they rise and fall like the tides and ever flowing waves of the sea. This symbolism has always been an influence in Traci’s work, and she designs Maresse with these thoughts in mind – jewelry that is made to wear and made to last through life’s ebb and flow.