I am a full-time IT computer professional, mother, wife and grew up in steel mill town in Pennsylvania. I love thunderstorms, smell of freshly cut grass, and snuggling in for the night watching snow falling almost silently to the ground. Earned a green belt in Tae Kwon Do. While my children were young, worked full time and attended evening college classes for ten years to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. Initial goal was to become an archeologist, or a National Geographic photographer. Fossils and the Egyptian culture intrigue me.
I have a passion for amber and watermelon tourmaline. I believe a piece of jewelry is a reflection of the wearer's personality and should be unique to that person - dare to be different. My jewelery is comprised of quality gemstones, hand-wrapped cabochons, Swarovski crystal, and unusual components like ostrich shell, rattlesnake vertebrae, fossils, to name a few. I do not follow fashion or color trends but allow the gemstones and other components to dictate the path and inspiration of the design.
As a young girl, I enjoyed working with my hands (crochet, knitting, needlepoint, hand-made tailored clothing) and still appreciate the sense of accomplishment from completing a work of art. Designing jewelry frees my mind and calms my spirit; plus I get to shop for all the cool stones and components and create something that make others feel special and good about themselves. I am self-taught and challenge myself and my skills by working on advanced projects. I started creating jewelry about five years ago, reading books on every medium and subject that had to do with rocks, minerals, gem stones, metal smith, everything I could find. Then I just dove in and had fun. Over the past year I have begun to broaden my metal smith skills and look forward to learning even more. My dream is to pursue an education program at the GIA.
