I've always been interested in jewelry. I made my first necklace when I was 8 after visiting Santa Fe, NM. I was so intrigued by the Indian jewelry that I got a packet of liquid silver beads and made an 8 strand necklace on the ride home. When I was a teenager I used to go to an antique jewelry store and when I saved up enough money I would buy things. I still have a pair of what I call Wonder Woman silver bracelets (they are quite large!) from Thailand that are amazing.

In my late 20's I designed my own engagement ring (never got married with it however) as well as a couple other statement pieces. At that time I met a local jewelry store owner who introduced me to a man who rendered jewelry designs based on my ideas and gemstone choices... some incredible pieces came out of that! Yet, I never really thought about making anything myself until the year 2000 when I visited the Revere Academy in San Francisco. I stepped into the classroom and immediately knew I had to make jewelry. So I packed up my bags and left 2 months later to start their jeweler's program. I've never looked back!

In a nutshell, I make wearable art. The gemstones and metals speak to me, sometimes out loud! I feel like my hands are not 100% my own when I create jewelry. I feel like the materials tell me what they want to be and my hands do their bidding. Creativity has it's own timeline and there are times that pieces will sit for years unfinished until the right tool or idea comes along to finish them. So I tend to have a lot of different projects going at one time. Sometimes ideas spring from not being creative, but from quite moments and day to day life.

I have always been strongly influenced by my travels and life experiences. I've traveled all over the world and so there are bits and pieces of these travels that show up in my creations. Additionally, I feel like I have lived many lifetimes doing different things from being a graduate student in science to owning a beauty spa, to writing a cookbook, to raising my son and more. I've never favored icons so my style does not follow current trends or famous makers. But rather, is a blend of ancient and modern styles. My favorite technique is called granulation which is an ancient process of applying tiny little balls into intricate patterns using high karat gold. I tend to create classic pieces that have an elegance to them. Sometimes they are whimsical but more often it is an elevated whimsy. I also love nature. So some of my pieces will have flowers or animals in them. I appreciate symmetry and balance. I also like jewelry to be wearable and have a comfortable feel to them when worn.

Creativity is a central source of meaning in my life. When I create I feel more fully connected to the world and everything in it. Being creative transforms my dreams and ideas into reality. When I am creating I can see the unusual in the usual - make connections between things that aren't normally related to create something entirely new. When it comes to making jewelry, for me this is true alchemy.