The allure and mystery of the pearl has captured the imagination throughout the ages, appearing everywhere from the poems of Homer to the lobes of Cleopatra. They later marked the accomplishments and status of aristocracy and royalty and became a feature in Hollywood cinema. From Marilyn Monroe’s Mikimoto Akoya pearl single-strand to Elizabeth Taylor’s La Peregrina Pearl necklace and Coco Chanel’s ropes and ropes of Pearls to the fabulous four-strand Akoya Pearl and Diamond necklace worn by Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana’s Pearl and Saphire choker paired with her “revenge dress”, this Gem has become an iconic symbol of feminine strength and energy.

Today, Pearls are topping the fashion scene in new and exciting ways. No longer relegated to the graduated Japanese Hanadama Akoya Pearl strands, designers are embracing Tahitian, freshwater, Baroque, Keshi, teardrop, button Pearls and more – and using them in innovative and unexpected designs. Pearl jewelry today might be big and bold, like Pharrel Williams’ Tiffany Titan collection, opulent and avant-garde as in Chanel’s elaborate designs or delicate and refined like those from Mateo New York. Whatever the look, it’s clear that Pearls are here in a big way this year and I’d guess the creative minds of fashion designers will only push the envelope further in the future.

As for me, after years of occasionally opening the soft velvet box containing my grandmother’s pearls and admiring their soft lustrous glow, I fully embraced pearls when I began creating jewelry. The metaphysical aspects of Pearls are undeniable, sending us powerful feminine energy, tranquility for the mind and restoration for the body and spirit. Pearls are the birthstone for June. They are ruled by the moon and water and are considered a gift from mother earth’s seas.

In my designs I like to pair pearls with gemstones of the earth, bringing additional energies to the wearer and colors to the style. I work silver into the design as it amplifies the energies of the Pearls and gemstones and gives a little edge to the styles.

How ever you choose to wear Pearls, I hope they bring you all the joy and energy that women and men have enjoyed through the ages. Whether they lift you to a new level of regal elegance or allow you to get in touch with your water loving relaxed vibe, let the beauty of the Pearl sooth your soul.

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These tantalizing stones delight observers who see them as well as those who participate strongly in their energy – holding them as loose stones or wearing them as jewelry. I personally love to work with (and wear) these Fifth Chakra gems. There’s a lightness in the energy — it’s fast, lively. It’s no wonder they open up the communication channel. Like a lively beat in music makes you want to dance, a bright, quick energy in crystals makes you want to express yourself – your true, genuine self.

So, hold or wear an Icy Blue if you have one and set your higher-self free from the constraints of self-judgement, worry or feeling you have nothing to say. You do! Share with all the love and joy you can muster and help yourself and those around you rise to a better day. And remember a genuine smile is a beautiful form of communication.

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Prasiolite connects with the higher vibration energy of Divine though the heart and into the physical. Prasiolite brings you pure positive energy, dissipates discordant, negative energy and fills the space with the capacity for renewed growth. This elegant stone helps link your physical aspects with the spiritual aspects of Higher Self, which makes it one of my go-to stones for meditation.

Prasiolite is used to attract abundance, self-reliance and inner strength. Resonating with the Heart Chakra, Prasiolite offers you loving, healing energy. And it activates our passion. The Heart Chakra connection also ups the courage factor making this a good choice for leadership roles where confidence and clarity are needed. I like to wear it when I need a little boost in confidence.

Prasiolite is a fascinating stone – timeless in a sense and yet, some faceting makes it seem reminiscent of another era, while other cuts evoke a modern vibe that is almost futuristic. The clean unique color continues to draw me in. I hope you will discover all the beauty of Prasiolite and enjoy it as much as I do.

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As I studied with some wonderful teachers and artists, I began to learn that it wasn’t that the silver was just being stubborn and refusing to move, it was that I didn’t understand how to work with it. I needed to develop a relationship with the metals and learn more precisely which actions produced the desired effects. In a recent workshop I took on metal fold forming our instructor, Charles Lewton-Brain, told us to let the metal express itself. What a wonderful way to put it!

And so, over the years I’ve gone from that adversarial relationship with precious metals to a deep appreciation of what we can do together, and a curiosity about how they like to be worked with. I’ve seen how fine silver can be used to create lovely weavings, which make the settings in my Woven Dreams collection.

I’ve begun implementing reticulation, which creates an almost topographical texture to the silver. Reticulation involves heating and pickling the silver until the texture begins to surface from the depths of its being. It’s a mesmerizing process that I’ll write more about in a later post. I’m using reticulation on some pieces in the new Bella Terra collection.

Another technique I’m fascinated with and am using in the Bella Terra collection is Keum-boo, the ancient Korean art of attaching gold to silver via fusion bonding simply by using heat and pressure with agate burnishing tools. The process literally changes the structure to atomically bond the metals together creating a stunning burst of gold in the midst of the silver canvas. And if you choose to take it a step further, oxidization will produce a variety of colors on the silver from violet blues to ink black.

The myriad of metalsmithing techniques provides an amazing palette of options and a certain joy and odd rapport with the metal develops through the creation process. This year I plan to explore new ways to work with forming precious metals and am excited to see how they can become little nests for the exquisitely beautiful and energetically powerful stones that are waiting to be worn so they can share their gifts with us all in a most intimate manner.

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The vibrant golden tones of Bumblebee Jasper resonate with the solar plexus chakra – your personal power source. The energy from this stunning stone will raise your awareness for your life purpose and connect you to your inner knowledge and strength.

As with all Jaspers, the Bumblebee is a very nurturing stone and will give you an added lift for negotiating life’s challenges and help you maintain your footing on the path you have chosen.

If you just need a little assistance navigating change or help making decisions in life, the Bumblebee Jasper is a very fine friend to have. Its energy will enfold you with love and encouragement.

I have embraced the Bumblebee Jasper as part of my Jasper Journey. I can tell you from my experience working with it that the vibration is well beyond enriching. I’ve grown so attached to some pieces that I’ll find it hard to part with them. I hope you will find this extraordinary stone as comforting and uplifting as I do!

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As I nurture my gardens, my gardens nurture me. I miss the smell of the earth over the winter months. The joy of watching the bulbs from last fall’s labor explode in vibrant colors in the Spring is intoxicating. And it makes me think that we all need nurturing as we step out from the gray skies of winter. And not to mention, out of the strange twilight of Covid.

And so, in my jewelry creation this Spring and Summer I am setting out on a little adventure with Jasper, which is known as the nurturing stone. There is great calm, serenity and strength in the many variations of Jasper. From the vibrant yellow and black patterns of Bumble Bee Jasper to the soft neutral tones of Porcelain Jasper, the underlying theme of these stunning gifts from  the earth is a powerful nurturing energy.

As I work on this new collection, I’ll share interesting tidbits about the Jasper varieties and their particular metaphysical properties. I’ll be releasing clusters of jewelry pieces within this Jasper Journeys Collection along the way and I hope you will enjoy the adventure with me.

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2022 is the Year of the Water Tiger in the Chinese calendar. It only comes around once every 60 years. The Tiger years are seen as the time to renew everything, especially your energy and strength. Water Tiger years are also associated with prosperity.

Not a surprise that the Tiger’s Eye gemstone also represents energy and strength in addition to self-confidence, willpower and positive energy. It is a very protective stone and has been used as a talisman by travelers for centuries. Tiger’s Eye balances the yin-yang energies in your emotional body and is used to lift one’s mood. It’s also useful for moving past creative blocks.

Golden Tiger’s Eye is extremely popular and in addition to the general properties of the Tiger Eye, helps cultivate awareness of details and promotes sound decisions. The Blue Tiger’s Eye is stunning to behold and is an incredible source for calming the nerves and reducing stress.

As we enter into the Year of the Tiger, I think, what a wonderful time to appreciate the beauty and strength of this amazing animal and to explore the energies of the Tiger’s Eye stone.

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to Chakra imbalances and even troubled relationships. They have been prized as symbols of purity, integrity and wisdom.

In the River of Pearls collection, I have enjoyed working with a wide variety of Pearls and marrying their energies with those of different gemstones and silver in order to create quite a range of metaphysical vibes. The pieces promote an empowering feminine energy that is intended to give the wearer a feeling of balance, clarity and a sort of lightness of being.

This collection includes necklaces ranging from 16” collar styles to long luxurious rope and opera lengths as well as earrings and bracelets. It is really versatile, allowing equally successful pairings with blue jeans, cocktail dresses and even your funkiest boho-chic look.

I hope you have as much exploring the River of Pearls collection as I did in creating it!

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The beautiful warm hues of the Black-eyed Susans outside my studio window inspired a search for a few special pieces of Bumble Bee Jasper to keep that summer note with me into the deeper days of fall and winter. With the temperatures dropping and the blazing golden petals fading from my garden I am so thankful that I found these beautiful Jaspers from one of my wonderful sources. Now as I begin to sketch out potential jewelry designs I am carried back into the still warm days of September with the dancing Susans – even as the sun hides behind the clouds of October skies.

I’ll post the results of this Jasper dance of designs as soon as they take form.

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Initial sketch after dream about a design of a pearl “moon” with a halo off dancing gemstone stars

After focusing my attention on the crystal energy of earth’s mineral gemstones for my creations, I’m adding a beautiful, relaxing path in my metaphysical garden — Pearls. I had a dream, which was so vivid that I woke up before dawn, grabbed my sketchbook and drew out the design that had been given to me. It was simple, playful and yet elegant. The sketch reminded me of a big full moon with stars dancing around it, and so it is named the Pearly Moon ~ Dancing Stars collection.

Until now, I’ve incorporated pearls into my designs, but I’ve mainly used them as accents, not the stars. And yet I’ve really enjoyed the feeling they bring as I work with them and they always seem to raise the sophistication level of a piece when they’re included, so I was excited to start this journey to see where this dream vision would lead.

Before beginning down this path I wanted to learn more about pearls. I sourced a variety of different types of pearls so I could become more familiar with their energy first hand. I also began a nice deep dive into the fascinating world of pearls – the types, the origins, the shapes, colors and sizes, and of course, their metaphysical properties.

Pearls are believed to give a sense of calmness and to promote faith, loyalty, truth and purity. Pearls invigorate the Sacral, Heart and Crown Chakras. They have been used in many cultures to help women connect with their “inner goddesses” and obtain the ultimate feminine energy. In Eastern religions the pearl celebrates wisdom and enhances connection with the divine. They invite introspection and relaxation, which you can surely feel as you hold a single pearl or caress a string of pearls. And pearls are the birthstone for those born in June.

Thus began the new Bon Chance collection — Pearly Moon ~ Dancing Stars. It’s a lively effervescent energy that instills an uplifting vibe and is so versatile it works with a silk dress or jeans and a casual top. Each Pearl is accented with beautiful micro-faceted gemstones that dance like stars around the pearly moons.

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