I grew up playing in my grandmother's jewelry box. Many of her pieces were passed down from her mother and others were given to her by my grandfather. She has built an amazing collection over the years. Each piece has a story that makes it even more beautiful than at first glance. She is the reason I fell in love with jewelry and the reason I have chosen to pursue it as my life's work. The way jewelry can become intertwined in a person history is a constant source of inspiration as I create.
I am also enamored a woman's sense of identity and the objects she chooses to represent herself to the world. I love to study women and design jewelry that reflects who they are and who they are hoping to become.
I guess that's why I make jewelry...another important question is probably
"what inspires me to create pieces that look the way they do?"
Describing my inspiration is often hard because I do not see the world in words, but in pictures, textures, feelings and colors. I love working in rich 18K yellow gold because it feels like a warm summer day, I love multicolored sapphire because it pics up all the subtle tones in a rosie cheek, and I cannot get enough of rutilated quartz because its ever changing patterns remind me that no two people are ever exactly alike.
I am also inspired by the designs that other designers and artist put out into the world. Flipping through a great furniture catalog can open my eyes to a world of lines and shapes that I would have never thought to utilize. Seeing a compelling painting can reveal a beautiful mix of colors that I seek to recreate by combining different stones. Watching a great performance can remind me that jewelry must be engineered to work with the body, with the curve of a neck, the shape of a wrist, and the way we move.
In my new collection (most of which is still in production) I am most inspired by color itself. I have been looking at colors that bring out the natural tones in the human body. Hair colors, skin tones, eye colors, etc. Smoky topaz, rutilated quartz, deep blue sapphire, green amethyst, and multicolored sapphire will be among the favorites incorporated into the signature collection this year. Check back in a few weeks to see what exciting new work I will be adding!
On most days my tiny studio is filled with 2 big black pups, a busy one year old daughter, all of her toys, a computer, an iphone, a land line, a camera, lights, hand tools, big tools, magazine clippings, invoices, files and the list goes on.... When my husband walks in he literally has to search to locate our daughter in the rubble. I try to be organized but I have a team of factors working against me and Miss Mia is leading the charge! It is hard to imagine a work day where my business cards are not dumped from their container and sprawled all over the floor. Its pretty amazing if she doesn't locate the ribbon bin and drape herself in spools upon spools of of ribbon. And its even more amazing if my relatively young pups don't shred her toys to pieces causing an all out riot.
BUT when it comes to the jewels I am all about organization! I love containers, boxes, and bright colors! My stones are always organized by type, size, and color. And my finished inventory is sorted by collection. Keeping the stones organized helps me to stay focus and excited about creating jewelry on a daily basis. Plus it saves time and money to know what I have and where it is.
