Celeste Mills of Cactus Bloom Design
Celeste is the artist behind Cactus Bloom Design. She is one of the few silversmiths from the Pascua Yaqui Tribe. Her jewelry is inspired by the Sonoran Desert and its beautiful flowers which are sacred to the Yaqui people.
Category: Artist/Individual
Discipline: Craft
Program Affiliations: Arts Foundation Grantees
About Celeste Mills of Cactus Bloom Design
I have been making jewelry professionally since 2001. I am one of the very few silversmiths from the Pascua Yaqui tribe. My primary sources of inspiration are the Sonoran Desert and its beautiful flowers which are sacred to the Yaqui/Yoeme people. My work is modern and feminine. It features intricate hand carvings on sterling silver combined with delicate elements like handmade flowers, gold fringe, and turquoise stones.
I grew up in the Sonoran Desert. The plants, cacti, landscapes, and colors, of this region are all part of my design aesthetic. My own cultures, Yaqui (through my mother’s side) and Mexican (through my father’s side) can all be found as influences in my work, especially desert flowers.
Many pieces in my collection combine handmade flowers with metal and stones in new and interesting ways. In my Yaqui/Yoeme culture, flowers (also known as Sewa) are powerful sources of spiritual blessings, love, goodness, and protection. So, making flowers a prominent theme of my work not only looks beautiful, but adds a special cultural significance as well.
My work is carried at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, the Tucson Museaum of Art, and other shops in the Southwest.
V. Celeste Mills
Preferred Pronouns: She, Her
celeste@celestemills.com
https://www.cactusbloomdesign.com
Turquoise and Sterling Silver Cuff Bracelet with Sterling Blossoms
Desert "Sewa" Blossom Cuff Bracelet by Celeste Mills of Cactus Bloom Design
This is a classic sterling silver cuff bracelet set with a large piece of Tyrone Turquoise and two of my signature handmade “Sewa” flowers. Sewa means flowers in the Yaqui/Yoeme language..
Assortment of Jewelry Pieces by Celeste Mills of Cactus Bloom Design
Desert Inspired Jewelry Collection by Celeste Mills of Cactus Bloom Design
This collection of jewelry features several hand-carved pieces including a blooming Agave pendant necklace accented with Kingman and Campitos Turquoise stones. The fringe earrings are hand carved with an Agave design and accented with Elysa and Kingman Turquoise heishi beads. Also shown are the large yet dainty sterling silver “Sewa” hoops and a necklace with my signature handmade desert flowers.
Earrings by Celeste Mills of Cactus Bloom Design
Assortment of Sonoran Desert Inspired Jewelry by Celeste Mills of cactus Bloom Design.
This collection of earrings includes a pair of sterling silver sand-cast large drops featuring a Saguaro Cactus against a desert landscape with handmade earrings wires.
The other earrings are intricately hand-carved with iconic Sonoran Desert plants, including the Agave, Agave in Bloom, and the Saguaro. The carved pieces are paired with tiny, faceted Kingman and Campitos Turquoise fringe and large Kingman Turquoise drops accented with faceted prehnite stones.
