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Three statement rings with interesting center stones. Left to right, a carved Baltic amber owl, a fossilized palm root stone in the shape of a coffin, and an asymmetrical natural turquoise stone with natural inclusions.
A statement cuff bracelet combines two cabochons, one labradorite and the other rainbow moonstone, set in fine sterling silver sawtooth bezels. The curvilinear sterling silver cuff complements the stones. Photo by Creative Life Images
When artist Ashley Minks pulls up in a hearse she named Priscilla, opens the back gate and unloads her distinctive handmade sterling silver and natural gemstone jewelry at art shows, people sense something unusual is about to unfold. And they’re correct.
Ashley Minks poses with Priscilla, the hearse that accompanies her to shows and on adventures.
Her company, Minx Monster Metals, riffs on her name and clearly spells out her obsession with monsters. The success of her rings, bolos, necklaces, cuff, bracelets, earrings and more speaks to her success in a monster market that’s not as niche as one might think. Minks' innate sense of style shines through in the extraordinary jewelry she sells to women and to discerning men.
A little minx in the making • Minks had a childhood filled with Barbie dolls, unicorns, fairies and little ponies, but monsters won her heart. She was raised by her single dad, who loved monsters and horror. “My dad dressed up as Frankenstein every year for Halloween. He got me my first coloring book, a Universal book of monsters,” she says. “I never colored in that book; it was my prized possession.”
Minks created this Goddess necklace using green turquoise and Baltic amber to delineate the head and garments of the goddess, complete with a sterling silver halo.
Minks grew up watching horror films, the monster movies and the scary movies of the 1980s and ‘90s. “My favorite movie was The Monster Squad. “That movie had this hearse, and as a kid I thought it was the most beautiful vehicle I'd ever seen in my life. Someday, I knew I would have one. I’m on my second hearse now,” she says.
Style, substance, and life • When Minks was a junior in high school, a part-time job selling jewelry from a kiosk in Union Station ignited her interests in jewelry. She worked the cart for several years, and when she was 20 she bought the business, which she renamed Little Shop of Silver, in a sly nod to her second favorite monster movie. She traveled to Chicago once a month to buy wholesale jewelry to sell. When Union Station went downhill, she found work at City Museum and eventually stopped selling jewelry, but she still loved working with it.
A beautiful cuff bracelet with a large Baltic amber cabochon centerpiece wreathed with natural turquoise nuggets, also set in sawtooth bezels with sterling silver accents. Photo by Creative Life Images
Motherhood and art • When Minks became a stay-at-home mom, she started doing pop-up shows with vintage jewelry. “I was going crazy taking care of two little kids. People constantly asked me ‘Did you make this?’ I loved buying handmade jewelry. I liked weird and spooky stuff and couldn’t find that sort of thing in sterling silver. It was always costume stuff, which I don’t wear,” she says. “So I decided to try to make the things I wanted to see.”
Minks took a class at Craft Alliance where she learned the basics of handmade jewelry, but when she met Taylor Saleem on Instagram, she moved forward fast. “She taught a one-day workshop where I learned to make bezels and set stones, which is what I wanted to do,” Minks says. “She was so much fun, and encouraging. She said ‘You can go to Home Depot and get most of the things you need to set up your studio and start making.’”
Weird, beautiful, spooky, jewelry success • Minks introduced her handmade silver and natural stone pieces at shows and pop-ups, integrating them with her vintage stock. Four years ago at South Grand Fall Fest, she did her first pop-up with all handmade pieces — and sold out. “It was like, oh my gosh, people don’t hate these,” she says. And she kept going, even in the face of real trouble.
Wiped out, then back in the game • In June, Minks loaded her hearse with her handmade jewelry and custom-made pieces to go to a show. Everything inside was stolen, in broad daylight. “It’s a mystery to me how it happened, but I always try to move forward,” she says. She got back to work. “I love what I do. I started making 10 to 15 pieces at a time, and gradually built up my inventory,” she says.
She was working part-time at the Royale a little before the theft, which was a benefit afterward. “I love working there. A lot of customers ask about my jewelry, so I’ll be doing a pop-up there on Nov. 13,” she says.
Minks used a natural turquoise nugget for the centerpiece of this detailed skull ring.
Memento mori • Minks' personal style extends to body art, and some of it is monstrous, with reason. “When I decided to get a monster tattoo for my dad, I took the image for my chest piece tattoo from the Universal coloring book he gave me when I was a kid — Wolfman, Frankenstein and Dracula,” she says. “My dad has since passed, but I got the tattoo way before that so he could enjoy it, too.”
Artist • Ashley Minks
Family • Minks has one son, Oliver, 9, and a daughter, Virginia, 5. They live with their dog, Esme, and a cat named Maple, who was adopted from 2nd Shift Brewing. She also has a dear sister, Kelly Tilley.
What she makes • Minks makes handmade sterling silver and natural gemstone rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, bolos, and specialty items
Where to buy • Minks sells her jewelry at Vintage Assassins on Cherokee Street, at pop-up markets and shows, and through her website, minxmonstermetals.com. She will be at 2nd Shift Brewery for a pop-up show from noon to 4 p.m. Oct. 16. She is showing her work on Oct. 28 at Ghouls on Grand, 3145a South Grand (above Steve’s Hot Dogs). She is also sponsoring an event, South Grand after Dark, a free Halloween open air party, on Oct. 29 at Ritz Park. .
How much • Her jewelry prices range from $45 for small pieces to $400 for larger pieces.
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Three statement rings with interesting center stones. Left to right, a carved Baltic amber owl, a fossilized palm root stone in the shape of a coffin, and an asymmetrical natural turquoise stone with natural inclusions.
Minks created this Goddess necklace using green turquoise and Baltic amber to delineate the head and garments of the goddess, complete with a sterling silver halo.
A beautiful cuff bracelet with a large Baltic amber cabochon centerpiece wreathed with natural turquoise nuggets, also set in sawtooth bezels with sterling silver accents. Photo by Creative Life Images
Minks used a natural turquoise nugget for the centerpiece of this detailed skull ring.
Ashley Minks poses with Priscilla, the hearse that accompanies her to shows and on adventures.
A statement cuff bracelet combines two cabochons, one labradorite and the other rainbow moonstone, set in fine sterling silver sawtooth bezels. The curvilinear sterling silver cuff complements the stones. Photo by Creative Life Images
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