I’m a middle aged Mom of 8 kids and wife to a wonderful man. 4 kids are stepchildren that came into my life 11 years ago and four are my own. Four girls and four boys. I have been designing jewelry for about 10 years now. The first five were just playing around and learning techniques from books. I never seemed to have enough money or time to take classes and used books are cheap (thank goodness for Powells Books).
I grew up in the Detroit, Michigan area. My Dad loves nature and introduced me to hunting for Petosky stones when we would take trips to Ludington. We would come back to the campsite with all sorts of treasures we found in the dunes and along the beach. We would also stop at the little touristo stores and I would try to find rocks and stones to collect. I amassed a pretty good collection. Then I got a rock tumbler and would make my treasures into polished stones. It came with a jewelry kit so I made everyone keychains and necklaces for Christmas.
We moved when I was 12 to Mt Pleasant, Michigan. There I lost my way for awhile as a teenager and kids came along and life was tough for a long time. I went to college when I was 24 and became an X-ray tech. I worked my little touché off in healthcare as well as 2nd jobs every now and again. I have worked in retail (Mervyn’s), a movie theater, and on call positions at hospitals on top of my regular positions.
I left Michigan 11 years ago to take up residence in Tacoma, Washigton. This is where I was introduced to the wonderful world of beads and stones again. This rekindled my passion that I had in my youth. I made jewelry as a way to deal with the stress in life and fill my free time. I couldn’t afford to buy designer jewelry but I sure could afford to make it myself. Since then I have developed my skills and have found ways to sell my jewelry to pay for my hobby.
After I met my husband in Tacoma, we decided to move to Portland, Oregon and fell in love with the city and the areas around us. There’s nowhere that I have been in the world that is quite like the Northwest. If you haven’t been here I suggest you come for a visit during the summer. I dont think there is any other place that offers the oceanside, lush valleys, mountains, and desert quite the same as here.
Now I am taking a step away from my career in healthcare and trying to make a go of making jewelry, lamp work beads, and rough and polished stones and gems. I finally have enough money saved to go to school to get formal training as a bench jeweler. This will add to the skills I have built over the years. I am finally following my passion and creating a simpler life for myself.
With a little luck, lots of hard work, and God watching over my shoulder, I will be able to make a go of this and be successful. Everyone I come across have said that I truly have the talent for this so why not go for it.
So here I go! I hope that you will find something that you truly love in my collections. It will be my pleasure to provide exceptional jewelry for you. Whether for inspiration or additions to your wardrobe I hope you enjoy purusing my site.
My best!
Jen