And who am I? A Baby Boomer who spent most of her “career years” as a graphic designer.

A few years ago I found myself suddenly transplanted from the Rust Belt to the Sunshine State and decided a career change should go along with the change in climates. Somehow, when all the choices in the world lay before me, I felt like I had none.

I flopped around for a while with my chin on my chest and then one day I decided to go to a bead show. I got lost in the magic of those wonderful stones, forgetting about food, water and time. I came home with bags of beads, covered every horizontal surface in the house and began stringing them together. Playing with colors and shapes came naturally with my background in art and design.

And then another dimension opened up to me in the magic of beads,  the history and mythology of the stones. As a student I never liked history very much, but as a mature Baby Boomer I can’t seem to get enough. I poured through books on Egyptian, Indian, African, Tibetan and Far Eastern jewelry. I looked at jewelry from Native American and South American cultures, even some pieces from King Tut’s tomb.

I began to notice that some of my customers seemed to be attracted to certain stones for reasons I didn’t quite understand at the time. A friend of mine literally bought a necklace off my neck. It was opals and aquamarines, and I discovered later that she loves the water, which is the reason she was attracted to the the water stones.

On another occasion a woman I met on a plane was attracted to a Tibetan necklace I had made. I was rubbing the carnelian stones as we spoke. She asked me if I could make a similar necklace for her, which I did, because she loved the carnelians. I found out later she had a job that required her to make presentations to high powered executives and carnelians can give you the power to speak effectively.

One of the signs of a truly creative person is an unwillingness to accept the status quo. For this reason almost every necklace I make is one of a kind. I try to work with unusual beads and findings, and search for the best quality at the best prices. I create jewelry in a variety of styles from Tibetan to playful lampwork or cloisonné. I work with African trade beads, mille fiore, batik wood, bone and silver. Some of the gemstones I use include jade, carnelian, lapis, rutilated quartz, citrine, amethyst, and chalcedony. I also work with turquoise, coral, amber and vintage beads. Wherever I travel I look for unique beads and findings, something special, after all, goddesses should never be ho hum, and neither should you.