MYKA Jewelry
Maja and Michael’s Love Affair
Maja Ilic and Michael Bremer were high school sweethearts in Vancouver. After graduating, both moved to Toronto and enrolled at the Ryerson Polytechnical Institute to study Applied Arts where both graduated with a degree in the course.
In 1986, while both were in their second year, Michael had a project that required him to visit John Bead to look for sequins and beads for an evening dress. When Michael came back, he gushed with excitement at what he saw at this major beads supplier. And said, “why don’t we make jewelry and sell it at craft shows and vend it on the street to make some cash?” Maja recalls.
And that’s just what the duo did. Pooling together their money, which amounted to $100—50 bucks each—they bought everything they need to make jewelry, such as beads, crystals, wire wrapping, and leather cording.
They began making jewelry while studying. However, they never had to do street vending. As they found out, in the fashion world there are a lot of women to sell to, Maja said. By the way, at this stage, it is worthwhile mentioning that Michael’s forte is designing while that of Maja was marketing.
And Maja marketed their initial jewelry items. She would fill her backpack with their creations and take them to the school lounge and sell them right away. “Even our teachers love it, especially our beaded bracelets, (like the one in this Mejuri review)” she said.
Their first break
While their business was in the startup stage, Micah found work at Escada (a women’s luxury brand) in Toronto (it closed a long time ago). And you know what she did to promote their products? Each time she reported for work, she wore some of her items. One day, one of the company’s agents who worked in the showroom asked her where it was from. When told that she and her husband created it, he suggested putting a line in his showroom. Of course, Micah readily agreed.
While this was developing, Maja was already getting orders from buyers and storeowners, some of which were on the high-end side. Then her biggest break came.
In 1992, Myka Designs had its big break when Ports International placed an order for its 75 stores across Canada and the United States. It was the first big order for MYKA Designs, prompting Maja to make a private label for them. The saying “when it rains, it pours,” proved true for the company because right after that deal with Ports International, the company was able to gain entry into prestigious department stores like Renfrew and Nordstrom.
Back to Vancouver
In 1997, Michael and Micah decided to go home to Vancouver and take their flourishing business with them. Since then, Myka has been based there. Vancouver is where the company’s head office is situated as well as its production studio.
Some questions have been raised by people who are not yet so familiar with Myka jewelry. Questions like “is Myka Jewelry Australian?” or “is Myka Irish?” were frequently asked—the answer to both of which is “No.” However, Myka has branches in 30 countries and definitely delivers orders to both Australia and Ireland.
MYKA Designs
Today, Myka is known to be a proud direct-to-consumer brand with its signature clean, and modern jewelry designs. Each jewelry item is carefully and painstakingly handmade—from pewter and finished with Swarovski crystals, semi-precious stones, and/or other glass and crystal beads.
Myka Designs is anchored on clever engineering and impeccable workmanship. It has been focused on a quality-driven creative design since it made its first collection in 1987.
Is Myka jewelry real or fake, you may wonder? First, “fake jewelry” is jewelry made from materials that may look like gold or silver but are really just plain metal plated with either gold or silver. The plating may look like precious metals but fade or leave green on people’s hands, wrists, and necks, and fade in due time.
On the other hand, Myka Designs’ production process is similar to that of fine jewelry. For example the Myka jewelry name necklace as shown above.
This is either made of .925 sterling silver or gold. This brings the question, “is Myka real gold?” For regular jewelry items, the company uses brass as base metal, then coat it with 14K gold, such as the one in this Myka review. But for high-end jewelry items, it uses 18k gold, with five times more coating compared to similar products from other suppliers.
Another thing that Myka is very concerned about is sustainability and eco-friendliness. All its products are nickel-free and its diamonds and other gemstones are all ethically-sourced.
Swarovski Acknowledged
- Diamond collars and chokers
- Chain link necklaces
- Memorable lockets
- Powerful pearls
- Pops of colors
- Celestial statements
- Charming accents
- Notable nameplates
Fashionistas find Myka’s name necklace suitable for any season because it seamlessly fits in from spring to winter. They are made using the company’s own manufacturing processes. For example, the company has mastered the combination of unique castings with solid brass chains, which are then electroplated with genuine rhodium, 18k yellow gold, or rose gold. Earring posts are usually made of titanium or sterling silver.
Once plated, their designs are finished with Swarovski crystals, beads, pearls, semi-precious stones, or bohemian glass cabochons. The company only uses top-quality materials and quality standards to come up with beautiful and fabulous jewelry.
Myka Jewelry’s Top Sellers
The company offers a long line of handmade fashion jewelry such as bracelets, chains, pendants, rings, earrings, necklaces,, and even monogram jewelry—following the pattern of the chart below.
Delivery Time
How long does Myka take to ship? Myka endeavors to ship all orders within 72 hours—if the item is in stock. Its shipping follows this routing—if it comes in between Friday to Sunday, it will be out no later than Wednesday of the following week.
Myka Jewelry Reviews
MYKA Designs has about 7 million customers on its database. As expected of a client base this big, there will always be “ayers” and “nayers.” Take a look at these:
Notes:
- Some comments are edited to be in line with Jewelry Forum’s editorial standards. But the overall thought was not altered.
- Acknowledgments of positive comments are left out for space reasons.
I can’t recommend this company enough
“I can’t recommend this company enough. They are so responsive when answering questions and do all they can to help. I love love love my bracelet and have told my friends about the service. I was dubiously at first with it being Internet-based but need not have been concerned the service and product is OUTSTANDING. Thank you”
Grandkids necklace
“I ordered a necklace with my 5 grandkids’ names on it. I love it! The quality seems very good and I got it fairly quick. Would definitely recommend it. Would make a great gift for someone or yourself.”
My fiancé absolutely loves it!
“My fiancé absolutely loves it!! Crafted and personalized perfectly. Thank you so much will definitely buy more gorgeous products from you!! Thank you.”
This is the fourth time I’m ordering…
“This is the fourth time I’m ordering from this site. I love your products. The only issue I have is a damaged bracelet. Can someone please respond”
- Myka Designs – Thank you so much for bringing this to our attention and for being such a loyal customer to us. We’re sorry to hear that the received bracelet has an issue. Not to worry, I have already sent you a private email to know more and for me to provide the proper solutions. I will look forward to further assisting you,
Kind regards,
Isabella
Myka Customer Support Team
BUYER BEWARE – Use PayPal ALWAYS
“Didn’t receive the ordered parcel, long story short another necklace was re-sent. Both times the tracking number stated they’d received tracking details but are awaiting the parcel. I requested a refund after the 2nd parcel delivery date had passed and the tracking info was still the same. They wouldn’t process a refund. I went through PayPal thankfully and went through their process for a refund which was finally resolved today 10/10/22. Still, no parcel to date has been received, dubious if one was ever ‘sent.'”
- Myka Designs – Dear Ghecko,
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. I am saddened to know that your order hasn’t still delivered and as a customer myself, I know how terribly infuriating it is on your end not to receive the product and service that you paid for, especially when the order is for someone else, and anyone would want to be compensated in some way. I have sent you a private email to provide more information regarding the status of your order as we saw here that a full refund has been issued already to your account.
Kind regards,
Ruffa
Myka Customer Support Team
I really like my Arabic 14kt solid gold…
“I really like my Arabic 14kt solid gold necklace. It was designed and shipped fast and I had my bespoke necklace within a week.
The reason for the 3/5 stars is because the design of the necklace has made some points of the name VERY sharp. I have deeply cut my finger trying to re-arrange my necklace on my throat as one point of the necklace is extremely sharp. Given how thin the name part of the necklace is, and these parts of a word can be extremely sharp, I would advise Myka for future designs to make them in a way that the name is more rounded and less pointed on certain parts. I wanted this to be a wear 24/7 necklace, hence paying the premium for solid gold, but I’m worried about this cutting my throat so now only wear this necklace during the day.”
DISAPPOINTING- poor quality and won’t give me a full refund
“DISAPPOINTING! Bought as a wedding gift for my future husband with the name charms on it. The writing was wonky and seemed to be different sizes. I flagged this as faulty, but that’s apparently the standard writing! The very expensive item for poor quality. I asked for a refund and they’re only willing to give me 70% back as it’s a 30% “restock fee.” Given the poor quality, I think this is absolutely outrageous! NEVER buy from them again, and will warn anyone I can against buying from here- RIP OFF!
- Myka Designs – Dear Emily,
Thank you for your feedback.
I am really sorry that the bracelet you ordered for your future husband is not as you expected. Since the bracelet was produced correctly and it is a personalized item, unfortunately, a full refund is not possible – however, we offered you a free item in exchange for something else. I sent you a private email regarding this offer. Awaiting your reply to my email.
Kind regards,
Anna
Scammed nothing arrives
Buyer beware my order number is 78677166 nothing has been received this is now 2 months since the delivery said it was delayed. I want a full refund immediately and have been asking for this for some time they do not respond!
No response from Myka Designs.
Myka Jewelry: A Company Bound by Love
It is rather odd to find a couple who share the same passion. Odder still, to remain together after all these years. Maja and Michael have proven that shared interests can make up for a successful marriage. For 28 years they remained loyal to each other and to their passion—and have been greatly rewarded for it. They have lived their dreams and, at the same time, provided jewelry lovers with a line of creative, innovative, and exquisite jewelry items they can all be proud to wear on any occasion.
If you’re interested in other jewelry designs, check out our post “Kendra Scott Jewelry: What You Need To Know About This Designer.”