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“I can sell jewelry in about five different languages,” said Las Cruces jewelry maker and Las Cruces and Mesilla farmers market regular Marcella Huppke.
A native of the Adirondack region of upstate New York, Huppke has been making and selling jewelry for nearly 50 years. She sold her unique wooden bracelets and other handmade jewelry in craft stores and, after moving to Florida, traveled in an RV with her cat, Sebrina, for eight months out of the year for many years to indoor and outdoor markets in the Northeast, the South and the Midwest.
Huppke was a featured artist at Busch Gardens, an African theme park in Tampa, Florida, for 20 years.
“I was really proud to get in,” Huppke said, remembering that she often drove into the park behind the elephant parade.
Another company in Delray Beach, Florida, would send swatches of its material to her so Huppke could make jewelry to match.
Huppke moved to Las Cruces about two years ago and is a regular vendor at the Farmers and Crafts Market of Las Cruces on Saturdays and the Old Mesilla Farmers and Crafts Market on Fridays and Sundays.
Her Las Cruces farmers market booth in front of the bank, near the intersection of Main and Las Cruces is Uniquely Chic Jewelry & Accessories.
Handmade wooden bracelets are Huppke’s signature creations. They are made from a wide variety of different woods, including bamboo and cypress from Florida, mesquite (a tree that blew over in her backyard has been a source) and red cedar that grow locally, and more exotic wood like purpleheart and cocobolo. She used solvent-based dyes to create unique colors and also incorporates designs into many of her pieces, including Southwestern motifs.
Huppke also sells earrings, pendants, hair jewelry, a few finger rings and jewelry made with semi-precious stones, beads and shells. She also does some wire craft items.
Everything Huppke makes is one of a kind. You can ask her about doing special requests.
Her prices range from $15 to $150, Huppke said, and most items are priced under $50.
“It’s been great,” she said about her move to Las Cruces. “I really wouldn’t want to go anywhere else.”
Contact Huppke at 813-693-9054. Visit www.etsy.com/shop/UniquelyByMarcella.
