I’ve been making jewelry of one kind or another for over 25 years. As many people do, it all started as a hobby.  I got hooked.  As soon as I had given something to everyone I knew it had to become a business.  I needed money for more supplies! Now I’m a full time artist and enjoy a laid-back lifestyle in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains outside of Boone, North Carolina. 
 

I started out all those years ago making beaded jewelry and I still love to make remarkable beaded pieces every so often. (I guess you never forget your first love.) I use several different techniques including appliqué, wire wrapping, hand knotting and several methods of bead weaving.  I’ve traveled extensively throughout the US visiting cultural centers, museums and ceremonies to study traditional Native American designs and methods for making jewelry, clothing and ceremonial items.  I’ve also learned techniques from master bead workers and Native American elders, but I’ve mostly taught myself to do beadwork through experience and experimentation.  I’ve also mentored others in the art of beadwork. My fascination with beads stems from the fact that the basic concept of the bead has remained the same over the centuries as a sign of beauty, religious reverence, social standing and wealth. The concept has crossed many different cultures from earliest times to the modern day.  

Next, I started incorporating beads along with sterling silver figure eight chain. Items include necklaces, bracelets, and earrings interspersed with a variety of unique, antique and hand made glass beads and semi-precious stones. I also do some wire wrapping using sterling wire. This has been very lucrative for me and I believe my style is unique to any other. 

In 2000 I discovered Precious Metal Clay (PMC) and it’s my new passion. This is a revolutionary medium that challenges age-old thinking of how precious metals should be worked. It is a water-based material that consists of pure silver powder suspended in a non-toxic, organic binder. (Actually, there is no “clay” in the material at all, it just feels like clay.) I use my hands and small tools to form the material in an endless variety of ways: pinch, extrude, join, roll, or mold. Anything that can be done with clay can be done with PMC. The piece is then air-dried and fired in a kiln at over 1000°. The firing burns out the organic binder and water, leaving a fine (pure) silver piece. Fine silver is 99.9% silver, while Sterling silver is 92.5% silver. Since it has fewer alloys in it, it does not tarnish as easily as Sterling. After firing, the piece can be soldered, oxidized and/or polished as can be done with any other silver object. I can incorporate glass and some semi-precious stones into these pieces. This work has a remarkable organic look not usually found in silver jewelry.

This heirloom jewelry will give joy to the wearer for years to come and is easy to care for. They can be immersed in liquid jewelry cleaner or wiped clean with a polishing cloth. “This is “statement” jewelry. It will get noticed,” says one of her customers. “It’s ornamentation that’s unusual and distinctive.”