Meet the Tinkerer

Hi, I’m Michaela. I’m a wire wrapper, stone collector, and lifelong admirer of the strange, small things the earth gives us.

I started Earthbound Tinkerings out of a deep love for learning where stones come from. I love studying how they form, what makes each one unique, and how they hold wildly different meanings for different people. The long, improbable journey it takes for a crystal to exist at all fascinates me. Wrapping them in metal feels like a way to honor that process by turning raw, earthy beauty into something wearable, personal, and alive with story.

I still remember the first stone I ever found: a little smokey quartz crystal on the floor of a school bus when I was six. I held onto it like I’d picked up the moon. That same sense of wonder and appreciation has stayed with me ever since. 

Copper has quietly followed me through life, from a childhood science fair project on thermal conductivity to the way my dad would always pick up every penny he found, believing there’s no such thing as a bad luck penny. Now, I weave copper by hand, wrapping each stone like it carries an ancient story only you were meant to hear.

Each piece I make is handmade in North Carolina, guided by story, texture, and a deep appreciation for geology, folklore, and the quiet magic of the natural world. I don’t believe a crystal has to “speak” to everyone. Sometimes it’s enough to simply love how it catches the light.

I work mostly with copper wire and raw or polished stones sourced from small sellers and local shops. Every piece is made slowly, with heart.

I shape the metal, but it’s you who brings the stone to life. That connection means more than I can say.