STUDIOMARGARET
A jewelry designer, glass artist, and china painter by trade, Margaret Lumia came to pickleball by way of tennis, and her passion for both games naturally led her to create pieces with a sporty twist. Initially, she focused on tennis, exhibiting and selling her Studiomargaret jewelry at the ATP tournament in her hometown, Delray Beach, Florida. But after being inundated with requests from ardent pickleball fans, she expanded her collection to include 18-karat-gold-plated sterling silver paddles, balls, courts, and more, either studded with cubic zirconia or enameled with colored glass. The latter technique requires several coats, applied one at a time, and multiple firings in a kiln that reaches 1,430°F, but those pieces are Lumia’s favorites, because of both the painstaking nature of the process and the layered look of the final product.
PICKLEBALL AND JEWELRY
When Mona Russell fell in love with pickleball, she went hunting for jewelry that reflected her new obsession; but she found few options that matched her style, so she set out to create some herself. Linking up with designer Eric Kirker, the Vero Beach, Florida, resident launched Pickleball and Jewelry—aka PB&J—in 2016, offering simple, classic pieces in sterling silver, 14-karat gold, leather, and acrylic. Her Etsy shop garners rave reviews, and the work is as satisfying for Russell as it is for her customers. “This business merges two of my passions: pickleball and jewelry,” she says.
DEBSMITH JEWELRY
San Francisco–area jeweler and promotional-product designer Scott Kalkman was introduced to pickleball via his brother, and though he was surprised when he first heard the name (“I thought he was joking,” Kalkman says), he quickly got into the game. Soon he was playing with a tight-knit group of regulars, and when the holidays rolled around, he whipped up a sturdy paddle key ring as a symbol of their collective pursuit—a piece so warmly received that it’s now a hallmark of the fine-jewelry line he produces with his friend and partner, Deb Smith Simmons.
1. Cubic zirconia pickle paddle with 3-D pickleball pendant and black-enamel handle, $140; studiomargaret.com.
2. Fine silver and glass-enamel court necklace in aqua, $75; studiomargaret.com.
3. Rubber bracelet with sterling silver pickleball charm, $74; pickleballandjewelry.com.
4. Stainless steel pickleball key ring with sterling silver paddle and ball, $150; debsmithjewelry.com.
5. Adjustable sterling silver pickleball bracelet with ball and paddle, $164; pickleballandjewelry.com.
