I didn't start this because I loved jewelry. I wanted to be a librarian.

What I actually started with was playing. Beads, stones, wire. The kind of making that happens when you're not trying to make anything in particular. Somehow, and I really don't know how, I convinced a showroom to give me trade show placement. And soon after, before I had time to think about what I was building, I was building something.

What happened next wasn't in any plan. An 18 year marriage ended. Four kids in the center. Twelve years out of the workforce. And suddenly this thing I had made while playing was the thing keeping everything together. I traveled regularly to trade and trunk shows and stood in front of women who had no reason to know the distance between their world and mine.  The quiet dignity took its toll but also forged something. I smiled, showed the line, then went home to figure out dinner. 

For a long time I couldn't have afforded my own jewelry.

I tell you this not because I want your sympathy but because I think it's the most honest thing I can say about why this work means what it means to me. Every piece gets made with the full weight of what it took to still be here making it.

People ask me all the time where my inspiration comes from. The honest answer is probably not what they expect. You can read it here.

Twenty years and many iterations later, I still choose this business, and I'm not done evolving. 

I'm honored that you are here. I hope you find such welcome that you stay, and that I could leave a trail of gratefulness behind me that you could see, glowing thanks.