Artist inspiration

I have spent my life moving between Byron Bay, Australia, East Hampton, New York, Florida and California. While moving between hemispheres, I have used jewellery and design as a means to express my experiences.

A deep appreciation and respect for "the hand" in the art of jewellery and my love of ornate and old world crafts inspires me to emulate these techniques in my designs.  In addition to the intricate and detailed work of Victorian, Greek, and Roman jewellery, I also enjoy the genre of Art Deco and clean, simple lines.  The combination of these two aesthetics culminates in my feminine and classic style.

The art of design and the act of creating a piece of jewellery provides great satisfaction and rewards me with the knowledge that in my own small way I am continuing the tradition of past artisans in maintaining "the hand" in each and every piece I create.

ABOUT THE JEWELLERY

I primarily work  with 14k rolled gold or gold filled.  Gold filled is not gold-plated!   It is a thin sheet of solid gold (usually 14k), bonded with heat and pressure to a base metal of brass. This layer of gold is hundreds of times thicker than that of gold-plated products. Gold-filled jewellery should last through a lifetime of wear and is a fantastic and affordable alternative to solid gold.  Many pieces of jewellery from the Victorian era were made from 9k and 12k gold.  They are still gold today.

While gold filled is what I predominantly use, I also use sterling silver, PMC (precious metal clay--99% pure silver) solid gold (14k and 18k) and sometimes bronze.  All metals have their own unique character and application.  The stones used in my design range from precious (ruby, emerald, spinel, sapphire) and semi-precious (chrysoprase, lapis, garnet, etc.) to Swarovski Crystal, glass, and Czech beads.  In addition to gemstones, I have a always been interested in coins, which has resulted in coins from various ages and walks of life making their way into my designs.  Other materials such as silk, pearls, and African trade beads are also used.  

The techniques used in my designs are forms of wire wrapping.  This involves using different gauges (thickness and hardness) of wire for various designs.  Each piece is handmade and involves attention to detail and the matching of gemstones.

About the Jeweller

I have always been a tactile person, especially enjoying creating with my hands - from woodworking and  painting to jewellery-making.  

At a very early age my mother adorned me with jewellery of semi-precious stones, pearls and gold. Perhaps my love of jewellery was born then. In high school, I began to seriously pursue creating jewellery myself, when I undertook a year of silversmith study.  This was the spark that lit the fire. From then on, I hav been  honing my skills and education, taking specialized  classes and workshops to develop new techniques, following in the footsteps of Old Masters.

I have been creating jewellery in some form or another for over 20 years.  It is my life-long passion. I derive the greatest pleasure from making one of a kind pieces that are a compelling blend of stone and metal, precious and semi-precious gems,  easy to wear, suitable to all occasions and enduring.  I want to share with you that I do not use manufactured elements; all of my pieces contain hand wrought parts that I make because I am focused on the individual pieces, and so each is a one of a kind.  I do repeat designs and that is why one may see a piece and be assured it will look like what has been ordered, but everything is handcrafted by me.

I am married to my high school sweetheart and we have four wonderful children.