The Yours Truly Collection: Jewelry By Tu Creations
New York City, NY - As an entrepreneur, environmental activist, and sustainable designer, Melissa Tu is nothing short of fearless. The fourth-year art student is the founder of Tu Creations: a custom, sustainable jewelry shop that champions discourse surrounding art in nature. Specializing in jewelry design at the Pratt Institute, Tu makes all products by hand, and her business thrives as a one-woman show. I recently had the pleasure of getting to know Tu and learning more about what sets her designs apart from the rest.
Born in China and raised in Vancouver, Tu became focused on creating from a young age. Growing up in two countries gave Tu a marked perspective on the juxtaposition between urban life and nature; this idea would go on to serve as the inspiration for her newest collection: The Yours Truly Collection.
The Yours Truly Collection features four unique pieces: The Yours Truly Necklace, the Its Love Earrings, Custom Earrings with Gem Stones, and the Yours Truly Ring. Each piece is made with a variety of natural resources, and Tu uses welding techniques with silver metal to capture different textures.
As a sustainable designer, Tu aims to spread awareness about the environment and encourage sustainable practices through her art. The intention behind the Yours Truly Collection was to coax consumers to re-evaluate their relationship with nature, and the pandemic became a starting point for that conversation. As industries struggle with supply chain issues- forcing many to a shattering halt- the environment has tangibly responded to our momentary respite in destruction. The jeweler believes that we are now in a place to rebuild a new dialogue with nature. “We are in a revolution for change,” Tu remarks.
When asked what she hopes consumers will take away from her collection, Tu’s answer was simple: “I want people to re-evaluate and re-examine their behavior towards sustainable living, and I want people to realize how our actions have affected our world. I want us to work toward rebuilding and renewing our relationship with nature.”
So what’s next for Melissa and Tu Creations? “I really want to bring more layers to this concept. The urban setting is a collection of all kinds of people from different backgrounds and classes. I want to create a collection that is relatable to everyone”.
For more on Tu Creations, check out their website and follow them on Instagram:
website: https://www.tucreations.org/collections?category=Yours+Truly
Instagram: @tucreations_