I found my muse at age 15 when I started making jewelry from electrical wire. When I was 18, I was fortunate enough to apprentice in Ed Levin's studio. While I was still studying, I began making experimental work that was eventually promoted by Bloomingdale's and other stores and galleries. My first experiment was to extend the ear wire down to become a part of the design instead of mere function. Buyers at first did not even recognize these pieces as earrings, but the design quickly caught on and became incorporated into the language of earrings.
My inspirations come from the forms of nature, the essence of the materials, and the beauty of women. I imagine and shape cacti, wings, feathers, leaves, stones, vines, and flowers as recurring themes. My designs are also heavily informed by my sculpture studies: my pieces are often wearable works of art. They are often literally in motion, with jointed pieces that swing and sway, and sometimes give the illusion of movement with their sweeps and swoops. I am intrigued by the surfaces of stones as they lend their integrity of surface and shape to a design. Freshwater pearls in particular have a loveliness in their unpredictable forms.
I explore the potential of the materials to create feminine forms that are enhanced by each woman's personal beauty. I shape metals into ribbons and curls, soft designs that belie the hardness of the materials. The jewelry redefines itself with each gesture of the wearer. My design is only a vision that depends on the fluidity of the materials and the wearer to complete it. When a woman puts on one of my designs, she brings it to life and it becomes incorporated into her style. I want my jewelry to be easy to wear and to become personalized, to take on the patina of the wearer's life experiences.