ABOUT
MY JEWELRY
Semi-precious
gemstones, pearls, seeds, shells, horn, and bone are among the materials
I incorporate into each distinctive piece of jewelry. I
try to get natural, untreated gemstones whenever possible, but some
are heat treated or otherwise enhanced in some way. Pearls are sometimes
dyed or bleached.
To ensure durability and
quality, every one of my creations is made by hand using sterling
silver wire, and each link and hook-and-eye clasp is cut and formed
by hand. I
don't use
any pre-made chain or links. For strung pieces I use a 49-strand,
nylon coated, non-kinking bead wire. Any metal findings are always
sterling silver, 14k gold-filled, or copper. I don't use plated
or base metals at all except for the eyeglass holder components.
INSPIRATION
My
inspiration comes from two lifelong loves—art and travel—which
turned a long-time hobby into a passion for creating jewelry inspired
by the places I have visited over the course of thirty-plus years.
Drawing on the natural splendor of the mountains, rivers, deserts,
forests, oceans, and sand dunes I have seen and explored, I strive
to make each piece echo the landscape that inspired it. And natural
substances are the essence of my creations.
The highest importance is placed on color combinations, which can
range from invigorating, fun, and happy to serene and tranquil. Color
is also one of my first considerations when beginning a new design.
And the greatest effort is made to make every item unique, incorporating
individual, often unexpected final touches so that each piece says
something significant about the person who wears it.
HOW IT STARTED
I’ve
always done something creative...took all the art and design classes
possible in high school and 2 years of college. I’ve tried
painting, drawing, calligraphy, several forms of sculpture, computer
design, etc. I’ve worked for print shops, newspapers, fabric
stores,
and even a jewelry company for eight years! I knew I wanted to keep
creating somehow, but I was still searching for that perfect...
obsession, I guess you could call it. I envied people who had found
their passion, or obsession, and could just lose all sense of time
when they were creating.
It all started
when I moved to Alabama from Maryland in 2000 (I'm actually from
Chicago so this was my third area of the country to live in, and
a major culture shock. I needed a creative distraction)...
My sister, Dawn
(also a very creative person; it sort of runs in the family), suggested
that year that we buy some jewelry kits from the internet and either
give the kits or the finished jewelry as gifts. There were so many
interesting pieces that I got a little carried away. More than a
little. I never thought about it before, but making jewelry was
another form of sculpture, only you could wear it! Anyway, I didn’t
end up buying kits but insteadwent for the beads, gemstones, stringing
materials, silver wire, etc.; learned everything I could, and made
my own designs. I'm STILL learning!
I decided
this was a great opportunity to start my own business. I had always
wanted to, but never had anything to sell or the time to put into
it. At this point in my life I had both. So it's growing, slowly
but surely.
OTHER INTERESTS & FUTURE PROJECTS
In my quest to find inspiration for design and information on
how to market my jewelry and start a small business, I used
the internet and learned tons about marketing and 
creating
websites. Web design became my secondary passion. (See other
sites I've
designed!) I learned a
little HTML (still learning), bought Macromedia Dreamweaver and
a few other graphics programs, and devoured everything on the
internet that had anything to do with design, navigation, marketing,
software, and site hosting.
I created
my website in Dreamweaver and Fireworks. My goal was to make
it as simple as possible to navigate and read. My biggest challenge
is the photography. I don't even own a scanner. I bought a
digital camera which I think is much more effective anyway.
I just have to keep tweaking things a little and eventually
I'll get it just right.
