Mish Fine Jewelry makes Palm Beach debut with new knot-inspired collection

With longtime ties to Palm Beach, jewelry boutique and design studio Mish Fine Jewelry opened a shop on County Road last month and debuted its latest collection, which is inspired by knotted ropes.

Designed and crafted by owner Mish Tworkowski, the inventory features earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings, brooches, cufflinks, and studs that make up collections inspired by nature or are one-of-a-kind pieces.

His latest collection, titled Why Knot?, reimagines knotted ropes in a sophisticated and playful way, and celebrates the opening of the new store at 244 S. County Road. Tworkowski said it is also his first extensive collection of jewelry designs in more than three years.

Mish Fine Jewelry operated out of a New York City studio at three store locations for 30 years before Tworkowski moved to Palm Beach with his husband and business partner Joseph Singer. The other locations are closed.

Now that his business is housed in a historic Addison Mizner building attached to the Phipps Plaza enclave, Tworkowski said he is closer to what inspires him daily: horticulture, nature, vibrant colors, and travel.

The foundation he has built in the community has also brought inspiration to his works, he said. The jewelry designer is a trustee of the Town of Palm Beach Preservation Foundation and has sponsored its annual Dinner Dance for more than a decade.

“There’s really a great sense of community in Palm Beach and West Palm Beach. It’s nice to be a part of that fabric," Tworkowski said. A grand opening celebration of his new flagship, which will benefit the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach, is set to take place this spring.

Bring Back the Glam: Renovated Via Bice debuts on Worth Avenue

'Modernity and local flavor': Cartier opens 'pop-up' boutique for the season in Royal Poinciana Plaza

A unique turquoise cabana charm bracelet reminiscent of Palm Beach is available as part of the celebration. The sleeping beauty turquoise charms, which have been handcrafted into seashells by artisans in Torre del Greco, Italy, are set with diamonds and suspended on an 18-karat gold chain with knotted rope details.

The bracelet's price is available upon request, and a portion of the sale will benefit the Preservation Foundation.

“This is an incredibly special piece,” Tworkowski said. “I thought the vibrancy of the turquoise was just perfect for Palm Beach."

It takes more than just creating a beautiful design to be a jeweler, Tworkowski said. It also involves aspects of engineering and "making sure that the thought you have in your head is actually wearable.”

In creating his newest collection, inspired by a knot he found on the beaches of Mustique, he had to consider the weight of the twisted gold chains, as well as the way the jewelry would lay on the skin.

Pieces from his Honeywood collection with diamond pavé were strategically designed to emulate the beehives kept in his Millbrook, New York, garden.

'Women want things they can't get everywhere': Fashion designer Catherine Prevost opens new boutique on Worth Avenue

Whimsy and relaxation: ‘The next generation of Marissa’: Naples-based Marissa Collections opens Palm Beach store

The purified palm wood and coral he incorporates in his pieces are designed with a smooth finish.

“I’m only looking for the best parts of (nature)," Tworkowski, 60, said. “Every jewelry designer adapts something that nature has given into something that is beautiful and wearable.”

When clients come to Mish Fine Jewelry, Tworkowski said he wants them to feel welcome and inspired upon entering by the florals out front, by the communal design room, which he created in collaboration with interior designer Katie Ridder, and by the three display cases where he highlights his latest collection and other fine jewelry.

Mish Fine Jewelry gives clients the chance to customize pieces.

“We want to get to know you. We want you to sit down. We want to know what you love, or don’t love,” he said.

“Jewelry is tactile. Jewelry is emotional. Jewelry … is expensive. Whatever you buy becomes a part of you. It needs to feel right.”

His love and fascination for fine jewelry dates back beyond his 30 years of business.

Family friends introduced him as a young boy to jewelry-making with their business, where he worked during his summer and Christmas breaks. He eventually began making jewelry as a hobby. After college, he worked for Sotheby's auction house in New York, and he continued to make jewelry.

"While I was there,... my coworkers and their moms started buying my jewelry and it turned into a business," he said.

“I love jewelry design, and I really feel that is my calling,” he said. “I think life needs to be multi-faceted because all those things contribute to who you are and what comes out of you.”

rharper@pbpost.com

@rachida_harper

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Mish Fine Jewelry makes Palm Beach debut