All Jewelry

I build jewelry, I don’t make it

As far back as I can recall. I have been intrigued by jewelry. My mother won a “Mystery Box” at an auction when I was a small child. In it was a beautiful piece of bronze jewelry, fabricated and cast…I held it in my hand and felt it…it was like nothing I’d ever felt…I knew from that moment on I would be a jeweler

I find the tenacity of metal and the direction the piece defines long surpasses the design elements involved. Each piece of jewelry develops a life of its own through the fabrication process. I am very drawn to the process of anything…the necessary cannons that must be followed in order for a given result to appear.

I am fortunate to have apprenticed with a wonderful Navajo teacher/ silversmith for 6 years…She taught me so much about what jewelry is not…and how to make beauty from simplicity …she instructed me…guided me on the exploration of process…teaching me to develop my own voice…and define my own process…

A few years ago I decided I would purchase no new product or a minimal amount to make jewelry as there is plenty of material available that more often ends up in landfills.I use a wide variety of materials including, vintage bowling balls, concrete, reclaimed and salvaged tile, broken and discarded sushi and restaurant plates, chopsticks, automotive paint nodes, rulers, discarded records, broken glass, reclaimed metal, and many others as they appear.

I feel jewelry has made a significant impact on my life…showed me everything is based on the small elements. My jewelry has a peaceful…“Zen”…feel to it. I build jewelry with questions…some of which may not have answers….