"I have to work with my hands...

Tim Coburn Photography

it's a compulsion."

I have always had an insatiable desire to make things from scratch. Everything from paper to pasta and things in between. I stuck with jewelry because it had a permanency and wearability that other arts did not. After working for days on a ring I wanted to carry it with me all the time, not hang it on the wall or eat it as was the case with the pasta. So, creating things, beautiful things, for other people to enjoy satisfies a deep need of my spirit.

For me, the jewelry I choose to wear each day is an extension of my personality; an indicator of mood, a reflection of my feelings. Wearing jewelry and feeling it on my skin, soothes my senses. Rings for example are my favorite because I can gaze at them while wearing them. I turn the ring on my finger when I'm nervous. I tap it on the gear shift in my car following the rhythm of my favorite songs. I slip in on and off when I'm "thinking".

Each piece of jewelry carries its own history...when was it made, where has it traveled, whose skin has it touched?

Every dent and every scratch represents life's experiences...a vacation, a party, or just working in the garden. That is why these pieces are so special to me.

I guess you could say that creating jewelry touches my spirit, soothes my senses, and nourishes my soul.

Peace.