I am a self-taught artist that, in 1984, as a single parent with two small children, fell into designing jewelry as a way to supplement my income. One day I took a shoe box filled with my original earring designs into a few boutiques in Redondo Beach, California, and surprise, I sold them all. My original business, Despina, was born. 1984-1986 was the era of big shoulders, big hair and big statement jewelry. Despina thrived and grew!

In the 33 years I have been producing jewelry I have designed jewelry for celebrities and had my designs appear in music videos and television series. I was fortunate enough to be selected to appear as a featured jewelry artist on national television on the home shopping network-QVC and have participated in numerous juried venues.

As the times changed, so did my designs and strategy. Adding employees, sales representatives, expanding my customer base and producing on a large scale for multi-channel catalog and department store chains has now come full circle back to the beginning.

In 2010 I redesigned my line, my outlook and my expectations for the future. RiverPath Studio & ArtWorks was born. My mixed metal earrings, necklaces and pins can be described as “eclectic interpretations of everyday contemporary life”. Everything I create is designed with a theme in mind and always with a whimsical twist.

I am fortunate enough to have worked in a job and industry I love for the past 33 years and look forward with great excitement to what the future has in store for me. Cheers!