Born and raised in Long Beach, NY, I started from a humble beginning. My parents immigrated from Greece with hopes and dreams of a better life.

I started working at a young age and was taken under the wing of Barry Weber, one of the PBS Antiques Road Show experts for antique jewelry. He influenced me and the course of my life. I always thought I would be a dentist (they use the same tools as a jeweler by the way) but here I am, 30 years later, still in the jewelry business.

Graduating from Queens College with an Arts History major in 1997, my husband and I decided to move to San Francisco in 1998. I thought I would focus on art but ended up working, for a decade, at a custom mom and pop jewelry store on Union St. called David Clay Jewelers. David was another extraordinary influence in my life.

Although I loved sharing the milestones and celebrations in my customer's lives, such as their weddings, babies and anniversaries, I constantly felt like I was compromising my morals. One of the challenges I struggled to overcome was the ethical issues in the jewelry industry selling "blood" diamonds, dirty gold, the conflicts in Burma and so on. I was constantly researching how to educate myself and my customers and find diamond sources that were ethical and sustainable. Emerging companies also started addressing those challenges, and the Canadian mines became an option.

After leaving David Clay Jewelers, I went on to be the buyer of Shreve & Co. , the oldest jewelry store in San Francisco. The internet was becoming prevalent at this time for research and shopping. I decided at that point that I was going to consult and buy for businesses and working with stores such as, Lang Antiques & Gumps of San Francisco and also meeting with emerging businesses such as Brilliant Earth. I only use recycled and old materials to manufacture in the jewelry I sell.

I am a bit on the OCD side and I am meticulous when I catalogue and grade the pieces I buy and sell. I like to wear the pieces when they are done so I can troubleshoot any issues, for example, earring does not sit comfortably or face in the appropriate direction, hence many of my earrings have a right and a left side.

Now, 30+ years later, I love what I do and am much happier with myself for making this move in my career.

I want to make clear that I am not a bench jeweler. I know the intricacies of making jewelry and have been designing custom jewelry for decades. I do wire wrapping and fun crafts on my own but much of my restoration and repairs are done by various jewelers that specialize in techniques, like enameling and hand fabrication. A laser welder is needed to work on most older pieces because of the difficulty in damaging other areas of the pieces and gemstones.

When I'm not working with jewelry, I am re-working and up-cycling clothes. You will find me knitting or crocheting or spending time with my family, watching movies, and hiking. I re-use and re-cycle everything and anything I possibly can.

Thanks for listening to my story and I hope you like what you see!!!