Monek L. Harris was born in Peoria IL, in 1966. Growing up in Peoria, she describes herself as having always possessed a naturally creative spirit for as long as she can remember. From creative hair styling as a kid to painting, leather work, woodwork, and any DIY project she could get her hands on, she was introduced to the technique of beading using semi-precious stones more than 20 years ago by one of her best friends. Over the years she has traveled around the globe taking classes, attending gem & jewelry shows, and seeking unique semi-precious stones from local area bead shops. Some of her fascinating adventures include her most recent trip to the Tucson Gem Show in Arizona, the Pearl Market in Beijing China, Chatuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok Thailand, and markets in India, Senegal, and South Africa.
It wasn’t long before beading became the gateway to her love of metalsmithing. Monek enrolled in her first metalsmith class at the Morean Arts Center in St. Petersburg, Florida in 2015 and soon discovered her fascination with the art of the torch and fabricating beautiful hand-made jewelry pieces out of sheet and wire metal. She learned fabrication skills by taking a flat sheet of copper or sterling silver using a torch, specialty hammers, and various other metalsmithing techniques turning the sheet into a beautiful work of art. Monek continually enrolls in metalsmithing classes as new techniques continue to inspire her to create.
She founded Black Girl On Fire jewelry in 2018 where her focus is on creating metal jewelry; however, you can still find beautiful beaded pieces which are also incorporated in her pieces. Her jewelry is currently exhibited at the Morean Arts Center in St. Petersburg, FL, and throughout various shows and pop-up markets in the Atlanta area. Monek is a member of the Metal Arts Guild of Georgia and the founder of Strange Fruit Arts Center. She describes her love of the process as “connecting from her heart, extended through her hands, to the final product at the delight of clients wearing each unique work of art. “
Monek Harris Collection
