Studio & Atelier · Est. 2003
Hand-painted ceramic jewelry adorned with 24k gold and platinum luster. Bespoke tableware. Monumental vessels for the world’s finest interiors. Each piece a singular work of art.
Explore CollectionsCommission a Work
Fine Porcelain◆24k Gold Luster◆Platinum Details◆Vintage Decals◆Ceramic Jewelry◆Bespoke Tableware◆Monumental Vessels◆Luxury Interiors◆Museum Quality◆Private Commissions◆Fine Porcelain◆24k Gold Luster◆Platinum Details◆Vintage Decals◆Ceramic Jewelry◆Bespoke Tableware◆Monumental Vessels◆Luxury Interiors◆Museum Quality◆Private Commissions◆
“Every piece carries the hand, the eye, and twenty years of refinement — from a delicate pendant to an eight-foot vessel.”
20+Years of Practice340Commissions Completed8ftLargest Vessel
Melanie Sherman Ceramics occupies a rare position at the intersection of jewelry design, decorative arts, and large-scale installation. Working exclusively from her studio atelier, Melanie produces an extraordinarily diverse body of work unified by a single commitment: the pursuit of irreducible beauty through craft.
Each jewel-like pendant is hand-formed from the finest porcelain, adorned with meticulously applied 24k gold and platinum lusters, vintage decals sourced from European archives, and proprietary glaze combinations developed over two decades of studio research. Tableware services are bespoke, never repeated, created as heirlooms for discerning private clients.
At monumental scale, Melanie’s vessels command public spaces, hotel lobbies, private residences, and superyacht interiors with an authority that comes only from absolute technical mastery and artistic conviction.
Collections
Ceramic Jewelry
Each piece in Melanie’s jewelry collection begins as raw porcelain clay, hand-formed, kiln-fired, and transformed through meticulous layers of hand-painting, vintage decal application, and multiple firings to achieve the depth of surface that defines the collection. The result is jewelry of extraordinary character — no two pieces identical, every surface a portrait of the maker’s hand.
Fine Porcelain Clay
European Grade · Hand-formed
24k Gold Luster
Third-fire Applied · Pure
Platinum Luster
Bright Finish · Archival
Vintage Decals
Archival European Sources
Enquire About Jewelry
The Atelier
From the first handling of the clay to the final luster firing, every step is executed by Melanie’s hand — a practice of total authorship rarely seen in contemporary decorative arts.
01
⬡
Formation
Each form is hand-built or thrown on the wheel using the finest European porcelain. Scale is no constraint — from miniature pendants to monumental vessels requiring structural engineering.
02
◈
Glaze & Bisque
First and second firings establish the porcelain body and base glaze. Temperature, atmosphere, and time are calibrated with precision. Some surfaces require multiple bisque cycles.
03
✦
Hand-Painting
Overglaze enamels, vintage decals, and hand-painted motifs are applied in exacting detail. This stage may span days or weeks for complex commissioned works.
04
◉
Gold & Platinum
24k gold and platinum lusters are applied in the third firing — the final and most critical stage. Temperatures must be exact; the results are irreversible. Perfection is not optional.
Monumental Scale
Melanie Sherman’s large-scale ceramic work occupies a territory shared by very few artists in the world — those capable of executing museum-quality craft at truly architectural dimensions.
Standing from four to eight feet in height, these vessels are structural as well as aesthetic achievements. Each undergoes custom kiln-building, multiple firings, and a hand-painting process that can exceed six months for the most complex commissions.
4–8ftHeight Range6mo+Creation Period3–4Firing Stages1/1Edition Size
Enquire About Vessels
Hospitality & Luxury Projects
Melanie Sherman Ceramics has been commissioned by some of the world’s most discerning hospitality and residential projects, delivering bespoke ceramic installations that become defining features of landmark spaces.
From ten-piece tableware services for Michelin-starred restaurants to monumental lobby installations in five-star hotels, each engagement begins with an immersive consultation and concludes with an irreplaceable work of art.
◆ Luxury Hotels◆ Fine Dining◆ Private Residences◆ Corporate Spaces◆ Superyachts◆ Cultural Institutions
The Grand Lobby Installation
Four Seasons · Chicago, IL · 2024
Private Dining Collection
Restaurant Elysée · New York, NY · 2023
M/Y Seraphina — Salon Installation
120m Superyacht · Mediterranean · 2023
Penthouse Permanent Collection
Private Residence · Miami, FL · 2022
Colour · Surface · Form
Bespoke Commissions
Every commission begins with a conversation. Melanie works directly with each client to understand the space, the intention, the colour vocabulary, and the emotional register a piece must inhabit.
The process is collaborative but the execution is absolute — no shortcuts, no reproductions, no editions. What leaves the studio is unrepeatable.
01
Initial Consultation
An in-depth conversation to understand vision, space, scale, and intention. A bespoke proposal is prepared within two weeks.
02
Design Development
Glazed colour studies, form sketches, and material samples delivered for review and refinement.
03
Studio Production
All work hand-executed in Melanie’s atelier. Timelines range from six weeks to twelve months depending on scope.
04
White-Glove Delivery
Museum-grade crating, installation coordination, and provenance documentation for every commission.
Begin a Commission
The Artist
Melanie Sherman has spent over two decades in obsessive study of the porcelain surface — its capacity for depth, luminosity, and narrative. Her practice is built on a belief that ceramics can achieve the same gravity and market presence as painting or sculpture.
Trained in traditional porcelain painting techniques and studio ceramics, Melanie integrates historical decorative traditions — Meissen, Sèvres, Japanese overglaze enamel — with a thoroughly contemporary visual sensibility.
Her jewelry has been exhibited at Sotheby’s, featured in Architectural Digest and Elle Décor, and worn by collectors across three continents. Her vessels are held in private collections in Europe, Asia, and North America.
Fine PorcelainGold LusterOverglaze EnamelVessel FormsJewelry DesignTablewareInstallation ArtVintage Decals Recognition
Press Enquiries
Architectural Digest
“Sherman works at a scale of ambition that is genuinely rare — technically fearless and aesthetically uncompromising.”
March 2024
Elle Décor
“Her jewelry is like wearing a small painting — each pendant carries an entire world of surface and light.”
November 2023
Sotheby’s Magazine
“Among the handful of living ceramic artists whose work commands serious collector attention at every scale.”
September 2023
2024
The Porcelain Sublime
Museum of Arts & Design, New York
2023
Luster & Light
Sotheby’s S|2, Los Angeles
2022
Gold & Clay
COLLECT, London
2021
The Painted Surface
Friedman Benda, New York
Studio & Atelier
Melanie welcomes enquiries from collectors, interior designers, architects, and hospitality professionals. All commissions begin with a complimentary consultation call to explore the possibilities.
Studio LocationKansas City, MissouriEmailstudio@melaniesherman.comConsultationsBy Appointment OnlyLead Times6 weeks – 12 months