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I had planned to do many things in life but making jewelry was not one of them.
The jewelry chose me. It appeared unexpectedly, quickly became a passion and has had me at its mercy ever since. Here’s the story. |
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For most of my life I channeled my creative energy into my business, writing, and activities with friends and family. Then, shortly before my 59th birthday, at a favorite
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flea market in Park Slope where I’d often found beautiful, unusual and affordable pieces, I discovered a dirty, broken necklace with beautiful turquoise beads. I loved the beads and knew that there were places near my home that could re-string the necklace affordably.
When I returned to N.C. I went immediately to the Original Ornament to check on re-stringing. They could do it I was told but so could I. Skeptical but intrigued I accepted a bead board and was shown how silver beads could enhance the turquoise I’d brought in. Soon I was designing what would become my first necklace. When I was satisfied with my design and looked up to get help with a clasp, I discovered that three hours had passed! |
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As I began to explore jewelry making, I discovered that my passion centered mainly on the creativity needed to reinvent something. My greatest pleasure came from being asked to reinvent a broach or charm that had great sentimental value but was unusable in its current form. I was able to “recycle” it into something beautiful and wearable that could be enjoyed in the present. As people began wearing my creations, more people came to see if I could reinvent their pieces and to donate beautiful, unused jewelry and beads for me to recycle for others. The connections I make with people through finding, sharing and reinventing jewelry is one of the things I value most about my new passion. |
Currently, my designs are characterized by asymmetry and unexpected use of color or shape. I enjoy mixing semi-precious gem stones with polished varieties of agate and other stones donated by friends and family. Sometimes the most beautiful components of a necklace have compositions and origins that are completely unknown. Often my pieces have light humorous touches that make me smile and remind me not to take anything-especially jewelry, too seriously.
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