DesertShineDesigns

I create mixed media jewelry with a focus on earthiness and nature. I love the earthy elegance of wire mixed with stones and beads.

My love of natural stones is deep seated. As a child I loved to hunt for agates at the beach. And as an adult, I've collected rocks everywhere I've visited. I have jars of them in my home and they decorate my gardens. I love the texture and feel of natural stones and love to research their origins. I just never new what to do with them until I started making jewelry.

I come from a crafty family and have tried my hand at everything from knitting and crochet to ceramics and beadwork. When I first started making jewelry, I only made earrings. We had a wonderful bead store in my town and I was amazed at the natural stones I found there. I made earrings for co-workers and friends. Holiday earrings and wedding earrings. Everyday earrings and dressy earrings. But although I enjoyed it, I was never passionate about beading.

In 2009, I retired from my career in state government and moved to Arizona with my Husband. At a local craft show I met a woman who wrapped stones in wire. Now THAT got my attention. I started playing with wire and stones, and since then have created hundreds of jewelry pieces, developing a style uniquely my own. I work primarily with Sterling silver, copper and 14k gold filled wire and natural stones. I also use crystal and metal beads in my designs. When you purchase a piece of my jewelry, you're getting more than just a bracelet, necklace or earrings created by an award winning artist. You're getting a piece of nature that has been cut and polished by craftsmen handpicked by me and then carefully and artfully wrapped or woven by me into a piece you can cherish for years to come.