My work brings together my love for the beauty of functional objects, my passion for sustainability and my sense of design.

I walk through the world looking for possibilities in everything I see. I can find inspiration in the most unlikely places. I love cutting materials into smaller pieces, somewhat disguising their origins and becoming gems of sorts.

I'm seeking more materials that are recycled or salvaged, lessening the environmental impact of my work. I'd like my work to have a positive impact on the environment, removing matter from the waste stream, transforming it into ornament. When these unlikely materials are worn as jewelry, they're reconsidered and seen in a new way.

I guess I've always been a designer. As a young girl I was given a fabulous, large doll house, and instead of playing with dolls in the doll house, I designed and redesigned the interiors of all the rooms.

When it came time to make a decision about where to go to college, I knew I wanted to prepare myself for a career I could be passionate about, and preferably one that didn't require math. As a teen my passion showed up in the pages of magazines, so I decided to start down the path of becoming a graphic designer.

I was thrilled to be accepted into Rhode Island School of Design, a school with a great reputation, and full focus on art, and a beautiful New England campus. There I discovered industrial design, and loved the idea of designing three-dimensional functional objects instead of just a design on a flat page. I learned all about designing furniture, machining metal and woodworking.

Just across the hall was the jewelry and light metals department. I was drawn to take a class there and loved the feeling of freedom I found there. I took several classes in the jewelry department, which gave me the skills for my first job after graduation working for a jewelry designer.

I started my own jewelry business in 1996, and in 2001 began my line of jewelry using found objects. Now my work is sold in galleries and museum shops across the country and internationally. I love that my work offers the wearer a unique kind of expression, inviting comments and complements every time it's worn. Please browse through my designs and see if there's a piece that offers something you want to express.