Impetus

Wood and Sterling Silver Earrings,  2004

When I started making jewelry I did so out of necessity. Our home had been burglarized and the thieves made off with just about everything.  The hardest part was losing the jewelry and trinkets I had inherited. The monetary value was insignificant but I would have labeled these items priceless. I was most sad over losing a trinket box from the “Mohawk Trail” that my great-grandmother had given me as a young girl. Broken-hearted, I mourned my losses for months.

With very little to adorn myself with, and no money to buy new things (sadly I wasn’t insured), I decided to make myself a pair of earrings. I have always considered myself a creative person and having recently graduated from USC’s architecture program I convinced myself that I could make whatever I needed to get by.

And so, a very rudimentary process began. I bought a pamphlet. Just one. I first taught myself how to wire wrap. I bought one pair of ear wires and a few feet of wire. I picked up beads here and there. I eventually took a two hour class, which lead to a semester long class and before I knew it, I was completely hooked. The burglars may have taken my jewelry, but they couldn’t have my spirit!

Making jewelry has become such an important part of my life. I enjoy the process as much as the product and I feel empowered each day I sit down at my bench. I truly believe all things happen for a reason and I am very thankful that this sad experience has had such a wonderful “silver” lining.

Reticulation Silver

Once upon a time I had promised to photograph a sterling silver ring I was working on because it had a reticulation silver accent. This little number was part of a series I was exploring whose concept was based loosely around the Meiji Shrine gates in Tokyo. Sterling silver, reticulation silver, and resin.

Have you ever had an idea, a really FANTASTIC idea, that after a few rounds of experimentation (mixed together with a whole lot of excitement and effort) kind of falls flat? The result is “fine”, like when you get a morning coffee but really want a cappuccino. There is nothing wrong with the result, and actually your friends like it, but you just can’t take the idea further. So, instead of muscling through this quandary to the MOST AMAZING piece, you burn out. I’m having one of those weeks. Sigh.

The great news is that I am SUPER excited to start something new when I return to my studio on Thursday. I am looking forward to a few inspiring days on the road to get me back on track.

Playing with...Poppies

...dainty 1/2" sterling silver circles, punched, formed, drilled and finished with silk cord. Voila.

Found Objects

I am inspired by found objects. Rauschenberg's early three-dimensional combines make me feel alive and Joseph Cornell’s boxes have the same effect on me as three macchiatos before noon. When I see a Cornell box at an art show or museum, I can barely contain myself. When I spot them from across the room, Olympic sprinter I am not but slap some spots on me and call me a cheetah because it takes mere seconds for me to be standing in front of his treasures…motionless, awestruck, and filled with gratitude.

This little necklace is a mix of found objects. Scraps from my daughter’s paper mache project, a brass concave disc, a soldered and flattened sterling silver ring intended for a different project, and last but not least, a tiny orange stone. One of a kind, this assemblage rests on an 18” sterling silver chain.

Craving Quartz

A simple, yet sophisticated design to get you through any season! Happy wearing.

Swirly-girly

Some new earrings for your viewing pleasure...