A Note About Materials . . . .
Questions and Answers follow



Terminology Used: SS = sterling silver, SP = silver plated, SSF = Sterling Silver Filled, GP = gold plated, GF = Gold Filled, FP = fire polished: a process used in the making of faceted glass crystals to create durable slightly rounded beads. AB = a coating added to beads which gives them an auroraborealis appearance, MM = millimeter, G or Gauge = wire measurement: the higher the gauge number the thinner the wire. I use 18 to 28 gauge dead soft & half hard sterling silver wires in my designs. I also use 20 to 26 gauge permanantly plated silver non-tarnish wire in some of my less expensive designs. I recently discovered sterling silver filled wire with a pure copper core. In the supplier's own words: "This high quality, tarnish resistant wire is made expressly for the jewelry making industry. It is regarded by many to be second only to solid gold or sterling. This is an attractive, affordable wire that works and wears well. The SS/40 has excellent sterling color and sheen.

SS/40 silver filled wire is made by bonding and outer tube-like portion - 1/40th sterling silver by weight - to a pure copper core. This gives the appearance of sterling for a fraction of the price.

SS/40 wire is not a plated wire. Electroplated wire has only a microscopic application of precious metal on top of non precious wire, in a thickness of .175 microns ( 7 - one millionths of an inch). To try and visualize this, a human hair measures between 70 and 200 microns, vs .175 microns. There is no comparison between SS/40 wire and plated wire."

Look for items labelled at RT with 'sterling silver filled wire' for a comparison.

Materials Used & Preferences: I use Beadalon, Accuflex, and SoftFlex 19, 21 & 49 strand stringing wire. These wires are not only extremely strong but they're also very soft and flexible. My favorite type of beads are lampwork beads created to look organic, semi-precious stones, gemstones, natural river rocks, and rare vintage glass beads. Of course I can't resist adding a bit of sparkle by using Swarovski crystals, or faceted glass. I prefer working with silver over gold. The price of silver has gone up considerably in the short time that I've been making jewelry. I continuously search for less expensive unique ways to enhance my pieces with elements other than silver. My pieces are priced according to what I pay for the materials I use to make them.

Comfort and Durability: I'm very fussy when it comes to jewelry. It doesn't matter to me how pretty a necklace is if it isn't comfortable I won't wear it. Special attention is given to each piece to ensure your comfort. Wire ends are clipped close and tucked in to prevent catching on clothing. Every effort is taken to select only high quality materials so that the finished pieces will hold up to everyday wear.

Care for Sterling Silver: All sterling silver and silver plated pieces are polished with a buffing cloth treated with an anti-tarnish agent and then shipped in a sealed plastic bag with a small strip of Shine On paper which has been treated with anti-corrision chemicals. I recommend keeping your sterling pieces in a sealed bag when not worn. To clean your sterling jewelry use a soft cloth lightly dipped in any number of anti-tarnish products found in department stores.

Care for Glass Beads: I use glass beads in some of my designs, and like any glass items these beads can break or chip if dropped or if banged against hard surfaces. Due to this it is advisable that young children not play with glass beads in case of accidental injury were the beads to break. My jewelry is not designed for children. Children's jewelry requires special design techniques to insure their safety.

Important Info about Pewter & Swarovski Crystals: Swarovski crystals are genuine lead-based crystals. Ingesting them can cause lead poisoning. Although for the most part I use sterling silver findings and charms in my jewelry ..... occasionally I will use pewter that has been tested and approved as lead-safe. I buy my pewter items from a reputable distributer of Tierra Cast products. They are the well-known manufacturers of high quality very detailed culinary grade pewter castings. Although, it's impossible for pewter to be 100% lead-free it can be made lead-safe. Lead is a base metal found within pewter. To be on the safe side please don't ever allow your children or pets to put any pewter items in their mouths. Lead poisoning is a very serious illness that can cause brain damage. I don't want to frighten anyone if they didn't already know this about pewter, but I feel it's my obligation to inform you of any dangers involved with the accidental ingestion of lead found in cheaply produced pewter charms which typically contain unsafe amounts of lead. Please consider NOT buying your children dollar store trinkets if you're not sure the items are lead-safe.

Questions and Answers . . . .

Question: Why doesn't your site have a shopping cart, or a buy now option?

Answer: Most of our designs are one of a kind meaning once an item has been sold it's no longer available to other buyers. A shopping cart, or a buy now button would cause too much confusion if two customers were on the site attempting to purchase the same item.

Question: Do you prefer creating custom designs, or making whatever inspires you at the moment?

Answer: Both. I enjoy the freedom of making pieces based on designs and color schemes that just come to me when I'm daydreaming, but I also find it very rewarding and challenging to create pieces inspired by a description of what someone else has been daydreaming.

Question: As an artist and a jewelry designer do you have any favorite colors you like to use?

Answer: Actually yes I do. I know most artists claim not to have favorites, but I prefer browns, blues, purples, and greens. Green and brown are my two most favorite colors. Think rich deep shades you'd imagine seeing in an old medieval forest. I don't care much for yellows, oranges or reds unless they're used for something I see as 'naturally' those colors such as flowers, or sunshine. Recently I've felt more tolerant towards dark, or purplish reds like maroon or blood red. I'm not very fond of brilliant hues of any color. They hurt my eyes.