Past Designs Gallery 1

Brass and coral from around the world join to make this globally inspired necklace and earring set. The Himalayan origin of eight brass pendants with inlaid coral proudly dominates the design. Made in Sikkim and found in a small shop in Thimpu, Bhutan, the pendants possess a beauty that lies in their understated patina. Bright red coral beads, collected from the Dalmation Coast of Croatia along the Adriatic Sea, are eye-catching and compliment the pendants. Brass rings and beads from Zimbabwe, discovered in Cape Town, South Africa continue the theme, while faceted spinel from a gem market in Jaipur, India highlight and complete the piece.  The fire that melted the brass is reflected in the brilliance of the sea-formed coral beads, resulting in an exquisite piece of  handcrafted jewelry.  (Materials collected during various travels  2004 - 2017)  

SOLD - Necklace - $135.00 

A hand-knotted treasure composed of freshwater pearls and faceted labradorite, the materials in this set were obtained in South and Southeast Asia. Small Bangladeshi freshwater pearls, obtained in Dhaka, nest between tiny stones of labradorite that were bargained for in a shop near the fabled Palace of the Winds in Jaipur, India. The large, teal-colored freshwater pearls were purchased in a palm frond shed on the island of Komodo, a short hike from where fierce-looking Komodo Dragons patrol jungle water holes. The luminescence of the pearls, accented by the reflected light from the stone’s facets, make for a lovely and intriguing handcrafted jewelry set. The two silver filled S hooks and sterling silver chain allow for adjusting the necklace to at least two settings.  (Materials collected during various travels 1993-2015) 

SOLD - Necklace and Earrings - $207.00  

This brightly-colored handcrafted jewelry set incorporates beads from lands with well-known waters.  The most numerous orange glass beads were a gift from a dear friend from South Africa, a country flanked by the Pacific and Indian Oceans.  The contrasting turquoise glass beads were obtained in Ghana, near the long running Volta River.  The large seed beads, known locally as 'Amazonian Seed Beads,' were gathered in Peru, home of the Mantra River, headwaters of the more famous Amazon.  The raspberry-colored wooden disks were a gift from the artist's husband, originally part of a necklace purchased on the sunny,Pacific island of Oahu.  The playful beauty of these beads, all originating from locales adjacent to well-known water features, is as bright as the sun reflecting off their waters.  (Materials collected during various travels 1991-2015)  

SOLD - Necklace and Earrings - $44.00

Butterscotch-hued Lithuanian amber from the Curonian Spit on the Baltic Sea and variegated tiger eye beads from Kolkata on the Bay of Bengal are the main ingredients of "Amber Eyes."  The charming, globally inspired necklace is interspersed with wooden beads from South Africa, unique brass beads from Kumasi, Ghana, and finished with a brass hook and eye set from Bhutan.  Few would think to combined such a variety of textures from such faraway places, but the artist weaves them into a charming, understated hand knotted jewelry set, with the length of the necklace permitting a variety of wearing styles. (Materials collected during various travels 2003-2015)

SOLD - Necklace and Earrings - $228.00

The artists' experience living in South Asia, Bangladesh and Nepal specifically, permitted her to obtain the materials of this impressive handcrafted jewelry set.  Freshwater pearls, in two major hues - pinkish (a color for which Bangladesh is well-known) and teal/purple (a rarer variety) - encircle the necklace.  The pinkish pearls were a gift from the artist's husband, and the teal variety were a wedding present.  Interspersed among the pearls are triangular-shaped purplish stones of garnet.  Found in a street market in Kathmandu, the strand of garnet was the artist's first purchase in Nepal during her first visit there.  These souvenirs from the artist's 6 years of residing in the two countries represent her admiration and personal attachment to these distinctly different nations. (Materials collected during various travels 1990-1992) 

SOLD - Necklace and Earrings- $110.00

Over 50 years span the time in which the artist collected the materials in this globally inspired hand knotted jewelry set.  The speckled, flat, white circular glass beads were purchased as a necklace for the artist's mother on the Ponte Vecchio Bridge, Florence, Italy in the mid-1960's. These beads are combined with white freshwater pearls acquired in 1992 in Dhaka, Bangladesh,  Setting off the ensemble are pale green glass columns of unknown origin, gifted to the artist by a friend.  Bridging two very different parts of the world across five decades, this adjustable-length ensemble is exceptional. (Materials collected from a friend and during various travels 1964-2017) 

SOLD - Necklace and Earrings- $115.00

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This unique collection of animal vertebrae, shell, and glass form a striking,  one-of-a-kind jewelry set that will be a conversation starter whenever it is worn.  The artist (also jewelry designer) gathered the materials in this set from a variety of unusual locales.  Mongolian fish vertebrae, embedded with coral and turquoise-colored highlights, were discovered in a huge rustic market in downtown Ulaanbaatar.  These are joined by shells from Ghana and camel bone discs that were part of a necklace gifted to the artist by a friend in Bangladesh.  A colorful flash is provided by glass faux coral  beads purchased at an outdoor stall at the foot of the Tiger's Nest in the magical Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan.  A lover of natural life and places would be hard-pressed to find a more unique or authentic piece of handcrafted jewelry.  (Materials collected during various travels 1992-2017)  

SOLD-Necklace and Earrings -$85.00

"Foraged" from four continents blessed with famous rivers and lakes, the artist collected the 'beads' that make up this handcrafted jewelry creation in Ghana, Peru, India, and Nicaragua.  The large brown and yellow glass disks forming  the lower portion of the necklace and the yellow glass disks in the upper portion were hand-fired in molds placed in outdoor kilns located in Ghana's Volta River watershed.  The brass spacers in the upper half of the necklace were made  by local artisans using the 'lost wax'method in earthen furnaces located in Kumasi, Ghana, near the meterorite-strike-crater, Lake Bosomtwe. The large black disks and round yellow beads were collected by the artist from small shops featuring seed beads from Peru's upper Amazon River Basin.  The tiger-eye stones came from Kolkata's New market near India's Hooghly River, while the smallest beads were 'foraged' in shops near the volcano-surrounded Lake Nicaragua, Central America's largest. The fires and waters of these four regions washed or formed what the artist has used to create this distinctive and globally inspired jewelry set. (Materials collected during various travels 2003-2014) 

SOLD - Necklace and Earrings - $135.00

Purple-shaded Amazon seed beads from a market on the riverbank in Manaus, Brazil and multicolored ceramic beads from the Indian Market in Lima, Peru are major  components of this piece.  White ceramic disks from the Central American Cloud Forest in Costa Rica contrast with the organic and manmade beads from South America.  Together, they recall the verdant topography and rich cultural history of this part of the planet.(Materials collected during various travels 2014-2016)

SOLD - Necklace - $55.50

Demonstrating its 'global' origin, this handcrafted necklace earring, and bracelet set highlights tubular handmade  'old' glass beads from Ghana sandwiched between serpentine discs from the 'Indian Market' in Lima, Peru.  Brazilian seed beads from the banks of the Amazon River in Manaus add texture to the necklace.  Completing each piece in the set are small camel bone discs from India.  Designed with components coming from three continents, and yet possessing uncanny similarities in color, tone and hue, the global origin of this green beauty is readily apparent.  (Materials collected during various travels 1992-2015)

SOLD - Necklace and Earrings - $115.00 

The sun, peaking through thick morning fog, reveals small homes and shops  clinging to steep slopes in Namche Bazaar, the last village of size on the trail to Mount Everest.  This is the site, December 1990, where the artist (and jewelry maker) bargained for and purchased the green and white layered glass beads featured in this handcrafted jewelry.  White freshwater pearls, obtained from the waters of Bangladesh, separate and accent the glass beads.  Gold-colored filigree encircles a mottled green stone broach, a gift from the artist's mother, which hangs asymmetrically on the necklace.  Squint your eyes, and you can see the sun's golden rays trying to burn through the Himalayan fog. (Materials collected during various travels 1990-1995)

SOLD - Necklace and Earrings- $189.00

Like the ice crystals in the snow and glaciers of the Himalayan range, tiny turquoise beads separate and connect the various beads and discs of this necklace.  In this globally inspired creation, handmade Ghanaian glass beads in royal blue, frosty clear with flakes of color, and frosty turquoise discs join stone beads of purple, white and light green from Thailand.  Brazilian turquoise-colored seed beads, bought in an Amazon riverside market, add South American flavor to the African and Asian components. The predominant blue-green cast of this handcrafted jewelry bring to mind the icy glacial tongues of the Himalayas. And thus, the 'Himalayan Connection." (Materials collected during various travels 1994-2015)

SOLD - Necklace and Earrings - $167.00

The beads of this necklace and earring set were collected in South Asia, South America, and West Africa.  Though these continents are not in close proximity, natural product from each are included in this unusual piece.  Ghanaian frosty glass speckled round beads and turquoise discs, made in small hand-fed kilns, are a centerpiece of this set.  Royal blue small disc bone beads from India along with a few small round turquoise-colored Amazon seed beads, gathered in Manaus, Brazil, carry the theme to completion.  Though the continents of origin of these beads are widely spaced, these colors and shapes coalesce beautifully in this handcrafted jewelry.  (Materials collected during various travels 1991-2015) 

SOLD - Necklace and Earrings - $100.00

The central beads of this handcrafted jewelry, large, handmade, deep blue/clear glass beads, were fired in a small outdoor kiln in Ghana.  These beads collaborate with azure-colored glass beads featuring copper-colored cladding and obtained at a coastal market in Salvador, Brazil.  Smaller blue/clear glass beads, also from Ghana, are interspaced throughout the piece as are tiny, contrastingly shaded cinnamon-colored agate chips from Kathmandu, Nepal.  The predominant blue cast of this piece is reminiscent of the Atlantic Ocean lying between the coasts of Ghana and Brazil.  As a jewelry maker, this design was especially challenging and yet rewarding. (Materials collected during various travels 1990-2014)       

SOLD - Necklace and Earrings - $130.

South American "treasures," combined with a West African accent, mark this distinctive set.  At first glance, a viewer's attention is captured by the large, striking blue glass beads that are encircled with copper-colored metal highlights.  These folk beads, used in Camdombie religious events,  are from Salvador in the Bahia State of Brazil. They are enhanced with similarly-hued handmade glass beads from the Krobo region of Ghana.  Smaller blue beads were recycled from jewelry found in Peru.  Finally, quartz rosado beads from the mountains near Huarez, Peru, add their colorful contrast to this necklace, which, for the jewelry maker, recalls copper tints in Brazilian sunsets. (Materials collected during various travels 2003-2015)  

SOLD - Necklace and Earrings - $80.00

Ghanaian glass beads, agate, and exotic wood are the materials in this lovely globally inspired set.  Unusually colored agate beads showcase a green, brown, and white design that visibly 'pops' on the necklace.  Found in a small shop near Dali in China's Yunnan Province, the agate is blended with Cortex wooden round beads from Costa Rica.  The Chinese and Costa Rican elements are framed by deep golden brown glass discs, handmade in Ghana.  The varying colors and textures of this handcrafted jewelry create a rich-looking and unique necklace that is complemented by the matching glass disc earrings.  (Materials collected during various travels 2003-2017)  

SOLD - Necklace - $75.00

This striking jewelry set owes its beauty to cultures from three continents.  Dramatically blue lapis lazuli stones with white, black, and yellow striations, from a local market in the shadows of 'huacas' near Chiclayo, Peru are the major ingredient of this necklace.  They blend with blue-hued stones purchased on the grounds of the breathtaking 'step well' at the Harshat Mata Temple in Rajasthan, India.  Highlights are provided by hand poured brass beads, obtained from a roadside foundry in the Ashanti region near Kumasi, Ghana.  White glass discs, also from Ghana, are supplemented by Peruvian blue stone beads to complete this globally inspired jewelry.  The artist's efforts across three continents and several cultures mesh the origins of these stones to form this globally inspired set. (Materials collected during various travels 2003-2015)

SOLD - Necklace and Earrings - $165.00

This variable length handcrafted jewelry is composed of beads from lands with an "Indian" heritage.  The large and medium, teal-colored 'Amazonian seed beads' were found in the famous "Indian Market" in Lima, Peru.  The teal/black-hued, cylindrical ceramic beads were found in the San Gerardo de Dota Saverge River Valley, in Costa Rica, ancestral home of indiginous clans.  The white bone discs were part of a gift given to the artist in Bangladesh, once part of India's Bengal.  Finally, the small, teal stone beads are from Maine, within the ancestral home region of the Abenaki "Indians."  This stunning collection of beads, strung together by the artist, and the 'thread' of their "Indian" connection are as unusual as the story behind their origin.  (Materials collected during various travels 1990-2016)

SOLD - Necklace and Earrings - $50.00

Stones collected across generations and continents highlight the history of this globally inspired jewelry.  Moss green, tri-sided agate beads were initially part of a necklace of the artist's mother-in-law, brought home from Korea by her father-in-law.  The round green rhodochrosite beads were bought by the jewelry designer at a beachside stall in Paracas, Peru, after a lively and informative discussion with the seller.  Following multiple cups of tea, the tiny, chiseled gray Labradorite beads were purchased at a sophisticated gem shop in the "Pink City" of Jaipur, India.  The dark green agate pendant was obtained by the artist in Nepal.  Though composed of stones from around the world, the comparable hue of these stones suggest a world unity not normally perceived. (Materials collected from family and during various travels 1993-2015)

SOLD - Necklace and Earrings - $100.00

South African beads of purple-tinted jasper immediately draw the eye to this intriguing globally inspired necklace and earring set.  Their color carries onto elongated freshwater pearls of a similar hue, and smaller, round pearls with a hint of teal, both from the rivers of Bangladesh.  Small agates of the same general color scheme come from Lijian in Yunnan, China and complete the palate of this handcrafted jewelry creation.  These components, gathered from diverse locations in Africa and Asia, coalesce to form a strikingly beautiful collection.  (Materials collected during various travels 1991-2018)

SOLD - Necklace and Earrings - $85.00

This amazing collection features two types of 'beads,' garnets and Venetian glass crystals.  The larger garnets were discovered by the artist in Northern Mongolia at a roadside vendors' shop.  A local woman, living by the shores of Lake Khovsgol, just south of the Russian border, offered a roughly structured necklace comprised of these orbs for sale.  The two polished nugget garnets were found in a central plaza market in Kathmandu, Nepal, where the jewelry maker lived for a time, and the multiple small orb garnets were acquired in Jaipur, India, just 'next door' to Nepal.  All of the crystals were obtained in Venice in the mid-60's, while the artist traveled there.  These stones and crystals, gathered from around the world during 50 years of international travel, are crafted into a stunning necklace and delicate earrings that can accompany the necklace.  (Materials collected during various travels 1964-1995)

SOLD - Necklace and Earrings - $95.00

In this creation, green and purple orbs of jasper, collected in the capital city of volcano-blessed Ecuador, are sandwiched between complimentary colored tiny beads of garnet from Jaipur, in the Indian state of Rajasthan.  Larger, faceted beads of labradorite, similarly obtained in Jaipur, encircle the gorgeous globally inspired necklace and complete its rich look.  These jewels from a country named for the earth's equator and from India's 'The Place of Kings' (i.e. Raja-sthan), make this international set "World-Circling King's Jewelry."  (Materials collected during various travels 2015-2018.)

A gift to a friend 

Banded tubes of deep green malachite, collected by the artist in Yunan Province, China, immediately draw the eyes of those observing this necklace.  Whitish stone orbs, shot through with faint green colorings, alternate with the malachite.  Found in  Bangkok, Thailand, these stones are likely from neighboring Myanmar.  Interspersed between both these larger beads, so small they might be missed, are faceted black spinel stones, purchased in Jaipur, India in an establishment specializing in fine jewelry, where the facets were ground.  The luster of these tiny stones lends a subtle suggestion of glitter to the entire necklace.  The matching earrings are composed of the same stones from Thailand and India, but are further accented by green, turquoise-like discs collected from a local market in Chitlayo, capital of the Lambayeque region in Peru.  Though from a variety of locales, the jewelry maker has skillfuly combined all components in these lovely pieces.  (Materials collected during various travels 2014 - 2017)

SOLD - Necklace and Earrings - $80.00

Fire and water are natural opposites.  In this necklace and earring set, the artist has taken jasper, a gem form of hydrothermal-circulation quartz, and paired it with organically-formed freshwater pearls.  The variegated, brown jasper beads were found in a quirky mineral shop in Cape Town, South Africa. The pink-hued freshwater pearls come from the waters of Bangladesh, in South Asia.  Rosewood beads from Costa Rica separate and highlight the two gems.  Originating from the earth's waters as well as from beneath and above its surface, the three components from varied environments combine to form the globally inspiresd beauty that is this piece.  (Materials collected during various travels 1992 - 2016)

SOLD - Necklace and Earrings - $140.00

The style of this stunning handcrafted necklace and earring set is reminiscent of jewelry from the locale of its centerpiece, but much more international in flavor.  The distinctive brass amulet, featuring turquoise and coral, was created in mountainous Sikkim, India and transported to isolated Bhutan, where it was purchased following a long bargaining session.  The coral motif continues in the necklace with Adriatic Sea Coast coral, in two sizes, from Croatia.  Bluish lapis lazuli tubular beads, shot through with veins of black, yellow and white, hail from Chiclaya, Peru, where they were found in the city's lively covered market.  Four square brass beads, in lattice design, are from Kumasi, Ghana, capital of the Ashanti region.  Unexpectedly, these beautiful beads from around the world join to create this striking and unique globally inspired 'treasure'.  (Materials collected during various travels 2003-2016)

SOLD - Necklace - $185.00

The beads in this unusual handcrafted jewelry combination were found by the artist over almost 30 years of traveling abroad.  She found the freshwater pearls in the early 1990's at a beach side  stall on the 120-mile stretch of Cox's Bazaar Beach in southern Bangladesh.  These pinkish pearls were bargained for at a structure that can best be described as 'temporary'.  In 2015 the garnets were purchased in a well-established gem shop in the "Pink City" of jaipur, India, after a negotiating session highlighted with several cups of tea.  The turquoise/gold Maltese glass beads were located in 2019 at a shop across the square from St. John's Co-Cathedral in Valleta, Malta.  The artist hand knotted these very different beads into a striking necklace whose colors and textures ensure the uniqueness of its design.  Because all available glass beads were utilized in the necklace, the jewelry maker crafted earrings comprising only the garnets and pearls to be worn with or without the necklace. (Materials collected during various travels 1991-2019)

SOLD - Necklace and Earrings - $157.00

The highlights of the necklace in this handcrafted jewelry set are agate cylinders with unusual circular designs of white and brown on a green background that is reminiscent of the verdant hills near Dali, Yunnan Province, China, where they were obtained.  The green hue theme is carried on by round dark green glass orbs from Bangkok, Thailand and handmade pale green glass discs from Ghana, West Africa. Taken as a whole, this necklace and earring set calls forth the green forested vegetation from two continents, the skills of artisan bead makers, and the imagination of the jewelry maker who created it. (Materials collected during various travels 2004-2017)

SOLD - Necklace  - $95.00

Various shapes of semi-precious apple jade beads, collected by the artist in historic Antigua, Guatemala, along with "granate"(garnet) stones mined near Nazca, Peru and obtained in Paracas, are featured in this piece.  Smaller, faceted smoky quartz stones from the gem district of the South Asian city of Jaipur, India accent the more numerous South American beads.  The stones from two continents intertwine flawlessly in this hand-knotted globally inspired jewelry, which can be worn in three different configurations. (Materials collected during various travels 2014-2015)

SOLD - Necklace and Earrings - $650.00

All components in this stunning handcrafted jewelry ensemble were  gathered in South and Southeast Asia.  The artist found the variegated shaded green stone beads at her favorite jewelry shop in Bangkok, Thailand.  The contrasting white, elongated freshwater pearls  were a gift from a friend who purchased them in  Hong Kong when it was still under British stewardship.  The sterling silver encircled malachite pendant was found by the jewelry maker's husband in a quirky shop in Pokhara, Nepal.  The Asian pedigree of this piece clearly enhances its overall beauty. (Materials collected from a friend and during various travels 1993-2015)

SOLD - Necklace and Earrings - $200.00

Two important ladies in the life of the jewelry maker provided major components of this handcrafted jewelry set. Moss agate three-sided lozenge-shaped beads, inherited from the artist's mother-in-law, are enhanced by lustrous oval hematite beads from a dear lifelong friend.  Complementing the entire necklace are four gray-white stones acquired in Costa Rica.  Silver findings finish the necklace and the earrings. (Materials collected from friends, family, and during travels 2005-2016)

SOLD - Necklace and Earrings - $98.00

Freshwater pearls of vibrant colors give a dramatic flare to this lovely handcrafted jewelry set. From the waters of Bangladesh, well-known for their pink-hued freshwater pearls, came the surprising raspberry-purple shaded 10mm pearls as well as the smaller 3mm teal-purple gems.  These are complemented with 10mm teal pearls purchased while exploring Komodo Island,  Indonesia, within yards of the famous "dragons" that populate the exotic island.  The combination of these three luminescent rarities , exquisitely hand knotted, make this collection truly unique. (Materials collected during various travels 2008-2013)

SOLD - Necklace - $140.00

The inspiration for this set was a pearl knotting class that the jewelry maker joined early in her artistic career.  She used pink freshwater pearls from a necklace purchased from vendors at the beach at Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh.  (Cox's Bazaar claims it is the longest continuous beach in the world.  It is, at least, the longest continuous beach in South Asia!)  Freshwater pearls are one of Bangladesh's treasures.  They are harvested, strung in a variety of styles, and sold throughout that country.  To add subtle highlights among the pearls, five pink Italian crystal beads purchased in Venice during a post-college European adventure were inserted.  The knotting added a touch of class to the beautiful pearls and crystals.  The gold clasp was from a previously dismantled necklace.  The end result is a very delicate, classic strand of pearls with twinkling accents! (Materials collected during various travels 1964 -1995)

SOLD - Necklace and Earrings - $100.00

Offerings from three continents are crafted into this lovely necklace and earring combination.  Emerald-colored handmade discs, created from glass powder derived from recycled wine bottles, immediately catch one's eye.  These were found in the artist's favorite bead maker's shop near Krobo, Ghana.  Having observed the "bottles to beads" transformation in the shop's outdoor kilns made the purchase of the green discs that much more personal.  Complementary jasper orbs of green with swirls of white and purple were discovered in one of the myriad of tiny stalls in the Artinsinal Market in downtown Quito, Ecuador and bargained-for by this jewelry's creator.  Small garnet beads act as spacers and further highlight the larger discs and orbs.  The garnet was found in the Rajasthan  state of western India, in the mystical 'Pink City' of Jaipur.  Using her keen eye for color and design, thejewelry maker combined these beauties of nature and man to create a vibrant, emerald-hued set.  (Materials collected during various travels 2004-2018)

SOLD - Necklace and Earrings - $75.00

Each bead in this singular handcrafted jewelry set was obtained 'in the shadow.'  The red-colored faux-coral glass beads were bargained for at the base of a mountain trail leading to a high cliff on which Tiger's Nest" (Paro Taktsang) has perched for over four centuries.  This Buddhist pilgrimage destination is located in the upper Paro Valley of Bhutan.  The coral-hued 'coralina' beads were similarly obtained 'in the shadow' of Chimborazo, a 6273 meter volcano in central Ecuador.  The  handmade brass beads were obtained from a roadside forge south of Kumasi, Ghana and (kinda) 'in the shadow' of the meteorite crater-created Lake Busumtwi.  The Nepali seed beads, glinting from inside the brass beads, can claim the Himalayas as their shadow-maker.  The variety of the beads' origins contained in this lovely ensemble lends itself to it's distinctive name, "In the Shadow." (Materials collected during various travels 2003-2018)

SOLD - Neclace and Earring Set - $105.00

An elegant necklace and earring handcrafted jewelry set, "Night Sky" was inspired by the artist's 2014 visit to Guatemala, and particularly to the House of Jade in Antigua.  There, she saw various creations that gave her ideas about her own designs in which she could incorporate some of the jade beads from three necklaces she had collected during previous travels.  Determined to make something extraordinary for her younger daughter to wear to the Atlanta premiere of a movie in which she had played a lead role, the jewelry maker began constructing "Night Sky."  Between dark green jade beads from a necklace acquired along the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy during a post-college European adventure, she placed smaller obsidian orbs, found in the Lake Atitlan area of Guatemala in a small shop specializing in Guatemalan gems and stones.  Highlighting the entire design are clear faceted  Venetian crystal orbs, collected during the  already-mentioned post-college trip.  The three-strand necklace indeed conjures images of the night sky and was a perfect adornment for her daughter on the night of her premiere!  (Materials collected during various travels 1964-2014)

Gift to younger daughter

The artist's eldest daughter loves the ocean in Maine.  Because the collective colors in this stunning jewelry resemble  the color of the water along the coast of Maine on a sunny day, and because the artist intended to gift the jewelry to her daughter, she named the set "Autumn's Ocean."

The light blue turquoise glass orbs were made in Ghana from glass bottles collected on a beach in Cape Cross, Namibia.  The glass teal orbs are from a necklace purchased and worn by the artist while living in Ghana.  The glass teal discs and aqua tulip-shaped glass beads are from Cedi's Beads, located near Accra.  The small turquoise orbs are from a necklace given to the jewelry maker in Nepal, while the light turquoise and clear blue spacers are from a necklace worn by her mother-in-law. The stone cylindrical turquoise beads are from a necklace purchased by the artist in the late 1960's at a camel market in Goulamine, Morocco.  The small blue round glass orbs are from a jeweler friend from Missoula, Montana.  This is a globally inspired creation with a story spanning 36 years, four continents, and five countries.  (Materials collected  during various travels 1969-2005)

Gift to eldest daughter

A good friend gave Aletha a broken strand of lovely purple stone beads, thinking that they could be useful to her as she pursued her jewelry craft.  The color blended perfectly with glass beads that were already in her collection and had a story that began when she and her husband were touring Namibia in 2005.  They collected glass from the salty/sandy beaches in Cape Coast, location of a sizable seal processing industry at the turn of the 19th to 20th Centuries.  The workers lived in houses on the beaches and disposed of their glass toiletry bottles by throwing them in piles near their houses.  In this treasure trove, Aletha collected bottles with unusual colors, like teal and purple.  Upon returning to Ghana, she requested that Cedi's Beads (north of Accra) grind the bottles and make them into beads.  The glass beads for "Namibian Dusk" are a result of this process.  Aletha made her first handcrafted jewelry set using the purple glass and stone beads, knowing that she would gift the set to her friend as a token of appreciation for their enduring friendship.  (Materials collected from  a friend and during travels 2004-2014)

Gifted to a friend

The origin of this necklace is a unique story unto itself.  The largest beads in the piece were obtained by a young Agricultural Economist - Liz - who was in Africa with the British Civil Service working on her PhD in the late 1960's.  She returned to Africa several times in subsequent years.  At some point while living or traveling there - probably in either Senegal or Zambia - she procured two strands of glass 'African  Trade Beads,' which were most likely  crafted in Venice (or thereabouts) and are of the 'millefiori' ('thousand flours') type.  This style bead was used widely in Africa as 'currency' by European traders.  Eventually, Liz gifted the two strands to the artist's eldest daughter's close friend, Jane, who grew up knowing Liz as a friend of her mother and bonding with her as an 'auntie.'  Years later, Jane generously gifted the beads to the artist.

The large gray beads are from Ecuador.  They are Taqua ('Plant Ivory") rather than mineral of man-made, and were found by the jewelry maker in the Mercado Artisinal in Quito.  The small black discs were originally part of an agate necklace the artist collected in Shocun, Yunnan Province, China (near Dali.)  The small lapis lazuli orbs, also obtained in YunnanProvince, are from an antique shop in Lijiang.  The pedigree of this globally inspired jewelry adds depth to what is indeed a singular necklace and earring set.  (Materials collected from a friend and during various travels 2017-2018)

Created for Jane's Mom as a thank-you for gifting the African beads to me

The major materials in this handcrafted jewelry come from three distinct, though complementary, ancient cultures in Peru.  Two of the three cultures are represented in the green, spherical rhodochrosite beads that hightlight the set.  These beads were mined near where the Nazca people created the mysterious 'Nazca Lines' and yet obtained in Paracas, center of an earlier related culture known for its textiles.  Complimenting the rhodochrosite are tubular beads of Peruvian serpentine, collected in a museum dedicated to the Moche culture's "Lady of Cao" mummy.  The dominant 'Peruvian Flavor" is enhanced by the additional international  'spice' of two shapes of glass beads from Ghana and spacers from Hawaii and India.  The necklace and earrings are a true melange of colors and cultural influences.  This collection was designed for and presented to a dear friend at the conclusion of her career in education as she began a new phase of her life. (Materials collected during various travels 1991 - 2014)

Gifted to a friend upon retirement

This set is dominated by materials the artist has accumulated through her life from friends and family. The  purple stone orbs at the center of the necklace are from a necklace made for a friend by her daughter-in-law, but the wire had failed, so the friend gave the beads to the jewelry maker to create something new.  Two sizes of purple wooden discs are from a necklace the artist's husband purchased  for her in Hawaii.  Hematite disc and spool-shaped beads, along with silver balls with designs are from the artist's mother-in-law. Finally, Nepali seed beads, from a necklace the artist purchased in Nepal, are found in the earrings.  The name of this set embodies the one word, 'grace ,' that describes the artist's friend who received the jewelry as a gift.  She lives, moves and relates to the world with grace.   (Materials collected from friends and family 1991 - 2014)  

Gifted as a celebration of friendship