I bought my first piece of handcrafted jewelry twenty years ago at an outdoor art fair in Florida - a fun little amorphous creature pin crafted from a piece of slate with dangly little coiled copper arms and legs. I was just enthralled with the creativity and joyous spirit of the jewelry artists that I saw that day, and from that moment I was hooked.

I had the wonderful good fortune to own a store where I sold contemporary craft and lots of handcrafted jewelry made by artists from all over the U.S. and Canada for five years. Many of my customers told me that they had come to love handcrafted jewelry so much that their shopping routine had become first selecting a piece of jewelry and then buying clothes to go with it!

 Handcrafted work in all media is becoming more desirable because it provides a connection to the person who created it and the pleasure of knowing very often that the item is totally unique. In a world of ever-increasing reliance on electronic devices as opposed to human interaction, handcrafted items are a lovely way to embrace the beauty of a low-tech creation.

 My logo is very special to me because it is a portrait of me and my dog that my darling husband commissioned from a most gifted painter, Dana Shavin of Barking Horse Studios as a surprise birthday gift. My dog's favorite toy in the world is a little red ball, and Dana thought it would be fun to put it on her head! The talented Camille Chung, here on Etsy, created my logo.

 I'm enjoying searching for unusual beads and stones and incorporating them into pieces of jewelry that are, in most cases, one of a kind. Let me share my love of handcrafted jewelry with you, and I hope you'll find wearing my pieces uplifting and fun and that you'll check back often to see what's new!