My jewelry is characterized by an organic, simple elegance with attention to special detail. I use traditional metal smith techniques, including the Korean technique of keum boo (“attached gold”) to transform sterling silver, high karat gold and natural river/beach stone into jewelry pieces that look earthy and organic, yet modern and refined.
After 25 years as a wildlife biologist, I closed that career and focused full time on the craft of jewelry making. I attended jewelry classes at a local community college, a small studio in Berkeley, California; and finally, Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts in San Francisco. After spending the first few years focusing on learning various techniques and approaches to design, I understand what it means to “find my voice” and reflect that in the jewelry I make. I work to express my authentic love of nature with an emphasis on botanical textures, simple curves, found stones and an earthy, organic look to the jewelry I make.
Nature is a consistent theme and inspiration in my jewelry designs. I strive to find fascinating textures and forms that celebrate beauty, sometimes in overlooked places. I use traditional fabrication techniques that include solder, forge, saw/pierce, stone set and texture transfer via rolling mill. Favorite materials include sterling silver, precious and semi-precious stones, polished cabochon stones, and natural river stones. Each year, I learn new techniques and experiment with new materials in order to keep my designs fresh and interesting. Most recently, I have been combining natural river stones set in silver with fused 23K gold using an ancient technique known as “ Keum Boo”.
Those who have an affinity with nature and want to reflect that in the jewelry they wear will find something they love in the Eggtooth collection.