Thursday, January 26, 2012

I'm always searching for new materials and new ideas. The materials I use range from rough unpolished stones, polished stones, plastic faux stone, glass beads, crystals, pearls, wire, and metal components. My favorite beads are unpolished stones. These natural stone beads come in an astonishing array of colors. I've juxtaposed the stones with gold tubular beads and love the look. Every time I wear mine, I get an order for one. I use it as my signature piece and feature it on my banner and business cards.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

My Creative Path

I was born and raised in Kimberley, South Africa. In Kimberley - the diamond city - I was exposed to the beauty of diamonds and grew to appreciate beautiful things from an early age.

Since childhood I've always pursued artsy activities and my dream was to study commercial art. However, I got cold feet and, instead, took the safe route and became a teacher. This started me on a path to find the most creative ways of making my math classes more effective. Today I am a math curriculum consultant where I can share my ideas with other teachers and, hopefully, help them in their pursuit of more effective methodology.

My eye has always been drawn to jewelry and, every time we've taken a trip out of the country, my husband and I have looked for unusual pieces until, a few years ago, I realized that I could make some of those same pieces I was drawn to. I decided to make it my retirement hobby.

After living in California for close to 20 years, we relocated to Baltimore, Maryland, three and a half years ago when we retired. I'm now on a path to learning as much as I can about making jewelry. It's an expensive hobby, so I started selling.  I've had such good feedback and this has led to my Etsy shop. Hopefully, it will continue to generate sales and allow me to continue growing in my creativity.