My introduction to jewelry design and metal-smithing came about almost by chance, or serendipitously, if you will. My grandfather was an engineer by profession and was of the old-time mentality "If you are going to do it, do it right." Upon receiving a basic jewelry designing kit from my mother and aunt as a retirement gift, he began his journey into silversmithing. His mentality prompted him to grow this beginners kit into a professional workshop of high quality tools and equipment. Over the years he made beautiful pieces for the women in the family and sold at various craft fairs. After he passed away my grandmother gave me all of his tools, equipment, and remaining raw materials, including a large collection of precious and semi-precious gemstone that they collected together throughout their travels around the US over a period of 20+ years.

I inherited this "goldmine" during my senior year of high school, the same year that after becoming inspired by my high school photography teacher, I abandoned my desire to become an engineer, applying instead to art schools. I was accepted to the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and my time there became a period of introduction, exploration, and development. I graduated from MICA with a BFA in General Fine Arts with a concentration in photography, printmaking, and painting.

With my grandfather's tools in storage, I knew that I wanted to someday learn how to, safely, use a blowtorch. However it was not until four years later during my final year at MICA that I finally took an Introduction to Jewelry 101 course. This course was a part of the Continuing Studies department at MICA, one that I discovered only mid-way through my senior year. I immediately signed up.

Having been consistently attracted to the more process-oriented art forms during my studies, metal-smithing immediately engaged me and opened up a world of possibilities. That introductory course paved the way for my path into jewelry design and metal-smithing, and in the years since graduating MICA it has become my passion and my profession.

I generally find inspiration from nature and/or personal experiences and these inspirations often lead to a period of obsessive research on the ever-available internet. I strive to work with my grandfather's mentality in mind, "if you are going to do it, do it right," creating pieces that will hopefully stand the tests of time, wear and tear.

In addition to my studio, I have a large, ever-growing collection of gemstones and a small goat farm! Life on the farm is never dull with 40 goats, 5 dogs, 2 cats, a handful of chickens and turkeys. Here we are doing our best to create a sustainable lifestyle for ourselves and to have happy, healthy animals. We use the goat's milk to make all natural, cold process, goat's milk soap as well as dolce de leche for those with a sweet tooth! You are welcome to visit our farm shop here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheLostTribeFarm to read more about what we do and see pictures of our adorable goats!

My partner, Gideon, and I travel as often as we can and are always on the hunt for stones. We have a shop to display our collection here on Etsy - if you see a stone you like or are looking for one in particular, please be in touch! I love to make custom works and will be more than happy to work with you to create something beautiful and unique. Our gemstone collection: https://www.etsy.com/shop/AvanimGemSpot

Thank you so much for taking the time to read about me and my shop. Please be in touch if I can be of service to your jewelry, gemstone, or soap-y needs!