I have been designing jewelry and other accessories for over 15 years. Like most designers, I started making pieces for myself, then my friends and family. Imagine my surprise when people started offering to buy my jewelry! I still have those first pieces, to remind me of where I started and how far I've come since then.

For me, the creative process is relaxing, frustrating, fascinating, and altogether wonderful. How can I not love that moment when a personality peeks out for the first time in a creature I'm sculpting, or when I try on a new necklace and it hangs exactly the way it's supposed to? There have definitely been times when I've thrown my hands up and given up on a project for a while, but rarely have I abandoned it completely. I revisit it regularly, because I know that sometimes my original plan might not work out the way I thought, but will instead become something I like even better!

As much as I enjoy making my pieces, my favorite part is when something I've created makes someone's eyes light up with joy! I especially love seeing something I've made being worn by someone years later, or when someone sends me a picture of them with a huge smile on their face while wearing their new jewelry. That, to me, is the biggest and best reason to do what I do. :)