Moon Cycle Designs

Handcrafted jewelry designed to celebrate the cycles and seasons of a woman’s life.

“The inspiration for my designs as a metal smith is influenced by many facets of my life.”

Donna Agababian Papazian

I am an Armenian American woman, mother, nurse midwife and lover of nature.

I design jewelry incorporating sterling silver, fine silver, argentium silver, gold, precious and semi-precious gemstones, pearls, and beach stones

As a midwife, I have cared for women through many cycles of their lives, which inspired me to name my business Mooncycle Designs.

Being a mom, I have learned a tremendous amount from my children, and the value of play and exploring the world with a different lens, while appreciating the simple things in life..

Every spring I am fascinated by the changing seasons, with its vibrant colors, textures and symmetry of flowers and plant life. .

Finally, the ocean feeds my soul. I am invigorated by the ocean. It’s like coming home. I think of my Dad, who influenced my love of the ocean and taught me to body surf.

“Metal smithing and designing jewelry have fostered my practice of mindfulness and the ability to live in the moment.“

My Process

Metal smithing and designing jewelry have fostered my practice of mindfulness and the ability to stay in the moment.

When designing a new piece of jewelry, I have many materials out on my design table, including sheet metal, metal wire, semi-precious and precious stones, pearls, and my sketch book.

Sometimes I begin with one design, which evolves into something completely different.

I’m also inspired by my customers, who encourage and challenge me to try something different.

Once I have decided on a design, I organize how I will fabricate the piece and solder or fuse components together. I need to engineer the piece in the most efficient way, in order to solder or fuse the metal . During this time, I concentrate on how long to heat the metal. This is where mindfulness comes in.

If I am distracted, I can ruin the piece, causing it to melt. Mindfulness and staying focused is needed when I am not only soldering, but fusing metals together, as in my Moon Cycle cuff Bracelet.

I use the technique of granulation and fusing to create my Mooncycle Cuff bracelets, Nightingale Wings pendant and Autumn Leave earrings. I become one with the metal and the fire. It has taken many years to achieve this.

Over the course of 20 years, I have taken many classes and workshops, learning new techniques, and improving my skills.

Signature Designs

Nightingale Wings

Throughout my career as a nurse midwife, I’ve worked with many intelligent, compassionate and kind nurses.

I created the Nightingale Wings pendant to honor and celebrate these nurses

This abstract design of a Nightingale, was inspired by the legend of Florence Nightingale, who was instrumental in transforming nursing into a respectable profession it is today.

It is meant to honor nurses, other healers or someone who is healing.

Khatchar Necklace (Armenian Cross)

This Armenian Cross is a traditionally found in the Armenian quarter of Jerusalem.

The design of the Khatchar was inspired by my trip to Yerevan, Armenian, summer of 2024.

It brought back memories of spending time with my grandmother, as she shared stories of growing up in Ankara, Turkey.

She spoke of her journey fleeing from her homeland, during the Armenian Genocide.

The Khatchar is dedicated to her.

Autumn Leaf Earrings

Growing up in the northeast, I have always enjoyed nature. the changing seasons, with its many colors and textures.

This is seen in my Autumn leaf earrings.

I fuse sterling silver granules, 18 kt gold granules or 24kt gold foil on to sterling silver. Then I apply a patina, which highlights three shades of the metal.