Ever since I can remember, I made things. I had a passion for creativity at a very young age. My mom is an artist and designer, and her mother was a life-long bead collector and jewelry maker. I had one grandfather who was a painter and the other was a well-known sculptor who came onto the art scene in the 30’s with friends Jackson Pollock and Phillip Guston; I was so lucky to be surrounded by art and creative people. It was a beautiful backdrop for me while growing up.

I began my studies at UCLA, focusing on Liberal Arts, while taking a few art classes to see what spoke to me. I especially loved my 3-Dimensional Form class and became intrigued with line and texture. I frequented the local hardware store and started crocheting steel wire, creating really cool pieces of mesh. This handmade mesh became my main material in sculpture making. I also used it to make jewelry, which I gave to friends, and sold in a few local shops.

I moved to NYC after 2 years at UCLA and attended Parsons School of Design. I entered the program without knowing what my major would be. I found a job working for a fashion designer; She encouraged me to major in Fine Arts with a Sculpture emphasis because of the jewelry I was still making. She would always tell me , "They are small scale sculptures and you need to explore that on a large scale!" I finally agreed.

In the Sculpture Dept I was drawn to the metal shop, where I discovered arc welding and was hooked! I was interested in line, and the concept of 3-dimensionally drawing in space. My chosen medium consisted of steel rods which I welded together to form large scale linear frameworks. Over time, my steel sculptures transformed from large architectural pieces and installations, to large scale hand-formed wire structures that people could interact with. The scale of my sculpture continued to get smaller, and eventually I was making small, intimate pieces out of very thin wire. It wasn’t much different from the wire jewelry I made while living in LA!

After I received my degree, I worked various jobs to support myself, while exhibiting my sculpture in galleries and museums throughout the country. Eventually, I decided that I wanted to ‘work for myself’, so I temporarily set my sculpture aside to try designing jewelry as a career.

I had come full circle! Jewelry-making to sculpture then back to jewelry. I replaced the steel wire I used while in LA, with fine metals, and created my first jewelry collection in 1998. I introduced this collection at a NYC wholesale trade show that summer, and did very well! I was able to quit my day job and make a living as a jewelry designer. My new career was off and running! After winning The Fashion Group International NYC 'Rising Star Award', I was offered representation by Fragments showroom. During my career, my designs have been sold in boutiques, department stores, and catalogs in the US and abroad. I became very involved in the fashion industry and was blessed with opportunities to accessorize a number of designer collections during the Seventh on Sixth fashion shows in Bryant Park. I was also fortunate to gain a loyal following of my work, including celebrities, and fashion editors.

In 2003 I moved to Phoenix, Arizona, to be near family. I met my husband here and had our sons Aiden and Noah in 2010. After the birth of our twins, I took a break from my full-time wholesale business, and opened up my etsy shop. I still wanted to create jewelry, but needed to do it at my own pace, on a small scale while raising our sons. Now that they’re 13 years old, I'm ready to refocus on my jewelry and am designing new collections for Etsy.

Art, nature, music and my materials inspire me. I approach designing jewelry as though I'm creating miniature sculptures. It's important to me that my jewelry is unique, timeless, comfortable, and has real or implied movement in it's form. I want to create jewelry that makes the wearer feel special!

I use silver and gold metals, high quality semi-precious gemstones, vintage beads, and freshwater pearls. I hope you find something in my shop that speaks to you. Happy hunting!