Ashka Dymel was born in Warsaw, Poland. After studies in liberal arts and foreign languages in Poland and Czechoslovakia, Ashka moved to the United States where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Environmental Design from Parsons School of Design in New York City. Ashka was an Adjunct Professor of Design and Design History at her alma mater Parsons from 1988 through 1995 and from 2006 to 2008 a visiting professor at Pratt Institute conducting design seminars in the jewelry division of the sculpture department. 

Because of her Interest in structure, geometry and modular designs, jewelry-making provided Ashka with instant gratification, sense of creative freedom and control that the architectural process was lacking.

In recent years raising a child had a profound effect on my creative process. Her work became more playful and intuitive, and less serious, symmetrical and controlled. It allows unexpected elements of chance to play a part in the process. After many years of creating monochromatic work, color was added. Ashka resembles herself a painter more than an engineer, creating impressionistic compositions, with fields of color broken up into small elements. Translucent semi-precious gems are used to create the most luminous effect. Each gemstone bead is like a drop of paint becoming part of the color field. 

Since 1990 she has created all the work in her Brooklyn studio with the help of one assistant.