Paul Morelli
Over the years we have enjoyed the the workmanship and talent of a number of different designers. The creative genius of Paul Morelli clearly places his collections among our very favorite! Many of you have loved his designs as well and we thought that you would enjoy his story as he describes.
"In my early life, at grade school and high school, I was a difficult student. I was at the top of my class but I was always sort of in a pickle, in some kind of trouble. However I excelled at creative writing and I really enjoyed it. I was a very creative kid, I was always very good with my hands, and that comes from my parents and my grandparents. My dad designed costumes for the theatre, and when I was a kid I would help him. So on Saturdays and my days off from school I would work in his atelier, cutting patterns making button holes and covering buttons, helping with whatever it took to put together a garment. I remember going to my grandmother's house for Sunday dinner when I was a little kid, and it was like a fashion show. Everybody was dressed to the nines - uncles with starched collars and cufflinks and shiny ties, aunts all dolled up with dresses and hats - and my parents would dress my brother and I up. One of my grandfathers was a tailor, and there were a lot of tailors and fashion people in my family. My dad was one of 13 children, and most of his siblings were girls, and this was right after the depression so there was a lot of sewing going on. They couldn't afford to buy finished pieces, so they were creative instead. I think that creativity is hereditary, it's in your genes, and as far back as I can remember I could just pick up a pencil and draw.
After high school I went to a liberal arts college. I was a journalism major, and I thought I wanted to be a news reporter. But after finishing college my friend's brother opened a clothing shop, a boutique, and asked me to give him a hand. So in the late 1960s and early 1970s we designed simple ready-to-wear stuff: boots and T-shirts and jackets. It was during what you would call the "Dandy" or "Glam" period, a time when things were pretty theatrical and flashy. I used to shop around in small towns in the US, looking for vintage clothing to buy and sell, and that's what I did for a living back then. Around that time a friend of mine was making jewelry and he got a commission from a clothing designer based in New York, who was doing a fashion show and needed some accessories. My friend couldn't do it all himself so he asked me to help him. We were making dress clips and really funky stuff - the designer was doing these red fox stoles and we made heads for them out of silver and plastic. And through that I got hooked on the creative process. I started making my own jewelry pieces on the side, working in the evenings in my basement, and I would bring them to galleries to sell. One thing led to another and I started making multiples and selling them at arts and craft fairs. I was totally amazed at the first fair I did because I sold everything on the first day. After one of those fairs I was contacted by a buyer at Bergdorf Goodman, a big department store in New York, who asked me to design a collection of jewelry that they could sell - and I'm still stocked there, after all these years. So that's kind of how I started, back in 1981. Soon afterwards I set up a studio in Philadelphia, and we still design and manufacture everything here, all under one roof."
Paul Morelli
Paul Morelli Pink Morganite in 18K Rose Gold
McCaskill & Company is honored to be selected as one of the venues to showcase the incredible intricate and feminine collections from Paul Morelli. From spectacular necklaces to classic wedding bands, Paul Morelli is truly a master of the art of jewelry design. You must stop by to see his creations! We are open from 10:00 until 5:30 - Monday through Saturday. We are located between Destin and Sandestin.
