Brief Personal History

Thera is a 30-year old local Torontonian, born and bred. She has worked in jewellery design since high school. For over ten years, she has been creating jewellery and sculpture as a hobby. As an outdoor enthusiast, she collects rocks, trees, driftwood, branches, berries, insects, etc. and has found her niche by making them the central focus of her jewellery. She uses the materials in their original form and hopes that everyone can admire the energy and beauty that comes from our surroundings.

Thera's creative drive and her use of natural and recycled materials comes from her parents. Newly emigrated from Hong Kong (and giving a new story each time they are asked why they decided to give her the name) they accidentally named her after a historically and culturally rich (and explosive) island in the Aegean Sea. The island Thera (now known as the island Santorini) has been linked to myths ranging from the mysterious Lost Island of Atlantis to the tale of the migration of lemmings off the Norwegian coast into the sea. These myths illustrate her serious and whimsical sides. She is very proud of her link to this beautiful island and strives to always be the best that she can, standing by the quality, originality, conception and production of her jewellery from beginning to end. Thera says, "I hope that my collection of jewellery and stories can be a source of inspiration and enjoyment for all."

Artists Statement – “To Help Find and Create Beauty”

Much of my work comes from my natural curiousity to seek understanding and beauty from everyday objects and people from the society that I live in. I believe that the objects that we surround ourselves with have a soul and that I am the translator to bring out their story and beauty for others to see. My inspiration comes from nature, long walks in the back-country, abstract art, broken barns, pails and bags by the curb – anything that sparks my curiousity and arouses my sense of being connected to the energy and conscious of the world that I live in. As an environmentalist by heart, all the materials used are either natural or recycled and in its final life cycle, thus very little waste is generated as a result. Each completed artwork is a unique and meditative process, and each piece has it’s own story and experience to share with the wearer. I hope that my jewellery will inspire responsible consumerism, and that people will take the time to see the beauty that naturally exist in the world; things that we see everyday that we take for granted.