A Creative Life of Design
A Piece of Q
Design inspiration comes to me in waves, through experiences both past and present. Often it’s not a new or sudden inspiration, but a merging of materials and memories as I sit in my studio with gemstones and metals in front of me.
For as long as I can remember, I have had a passion to create. I knew from an early age I would find my dream and live it. My modeling career provided the springboard for jewelry design inspiration. My collections reflect the impressions, tastes and textures gathered through my travels with a focus on limited edition and one-of-a-kind pieces that celebrate the beauty and intrigue of the women who will wear them.
Love of Creating
As an 8-year-old, I found great joy in creating something “new” from everyday items. Call it an early form of upcycling if you will. While other kids were selling Kool-Aid, I was coating my gummy bears in polyurethane, stringing them on a wire and selling them to my elementary school classmates. Recently, a friend shared that she still has her gummy bear necklace in a plastic bag, and I discovered a pair of gummy bear earrings among my mother’s belongings — a sweet reminder of my childhood creativity.
I’ve come a long way from the days of gummy bears, now designing with gemstones cut to my imagination and specification. I often feel like I paint with the stones. I begin with a group of complementary gems, lay them out and move them around like pieces on a chess board, sketching with colored pencils as the design reveals itself. I don’t force stones into my concept but try to enhance their natural beauty. A design is ready when my training and skill fuses with my inspiration in a “whoa” moment of realization that I have captured something special.
My foray into a stonecutting family
Refined Rebel
If I didn't have to earn a living, I would have been a sculptor. In truth, my jewelry is sculpture on a smaller scale, fashioned with metal and painted with stones. My design journey was unconventional and some might even think of me as a rebel. Years of traveling to photo shoots gave me a larger world view. Navigating traditional paths, I continue to push the envelope and live life outside the box.
While modeling in NYC, I began studying at Parsons School of Design to learn traditional metal smithing and jewelry fabrication techniques. After moving to North Carolina, I continued to study with master craftsmen and my natural creativity and assembly skill came full circle giving me renewed confidence in my abilities.
A rebel opposes the established norms. As a “refined rebel,” I transform rudimentary materials into luxury pieces that tell a story. To me, a medieval mace bead and Avalon spike aren’t viewed merely as instruments of torture, but as incredible texture and shape waiting to be used in a design. (And if they bludgeon a few obstacles out of my way, all the better.) When I see nature’s untamed beauty, I try to capture and preserve it in a piece like my 7 Stick Edge Necklace inspired by wildflowers outside of my house. I may be a rebel, but I’m an inspired one who can’t wait to see what happens next.
I love creating wearable designs that stand the test of time.
Uncommon Beauty
I’ve grown older but have never lost my inner 8-year-old. I may no longer use items from my pocket or pantry to make necklaces (that I will admit to), but the smallest details still fascinate and excite me, ultimately finding their way into my designs. I see the world in a slideshow of textures. When I look out at the NYC skyline, I’m transfixed by the patterns in the architecture. When I observe my cats, I wonder how I might etch the texture of their fur into metal.
On a trip to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain I never made it inside. I was too captivated by the ornamental metalwork on door knobs and knockers, window sills and gates, not to mention the decorated manhole covers, throughout the neighborhood. I’m in awe when I consider the hands that devoted time to such fine details hundreds of years ago. These textures became a key "ingredient” for my Metal Elements Collection.
My collections radiate simplicity, harmony, and timelessness. I particularly identify with the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi, finding beauty in imperfections. I love to work with the windows open on rainy days. I retreat to the creek on my property, my personal slice of heaven, to clear my mind and come away inspired in new ways. The beauty around me becomes part of the inspiration and the studio hums with new work and energy.
I hope wearing jewelry from the Q collection is like owning your own small piece of the world, from me to you.
Wearable Design
Every piece I create captures a memory and each design has a unique story. One of my favorite pieces was born of an unexpected request. Several years ago I met a woman who had just lost her husband and was bravely navigating a new way of life. After we became friends, she asked me to design a necklace reminiscent of the islands in the South Pacific, a spot she and her husband treasured. The piece was to feature 13 baroque pearls, one to represent each of their children and grandchildren. Her request inspired the Dream of Moorea necklace, which she later graciously encouraged me to add to my Signature Collection.
I’m energized by travel, culture, and architecture. My designs come from summers in the Fjords of Norway, adventures in the Caribbean, mountain biking in the arctic circle, exploring St. Petersburg - wherever I travel, I find inspiration and motivation. I want to translate the beauty I see in the world into jewelry for others to enjoy. The captivating details in shapes, colors, textures and stones are expressed through wearable art, with the goal that the women wearing my pieces will feel sexy, beautiful and excited to seek their next adventure.