I started making jewelry in high school here in Orange County, CA. We had a jewelry lab elective course so I forged my mom’s signature to get in (she would definitely not have approved). My parents were both classical musicians and educators so it was expected that I would follow the same path. What happened when I took that jewelry course just blew my mind and started me down a new road. I was officially the knucklehead of the family. Right out of high school I answered an ad in the paper saying, “No Experience Necessary. Lapidary Apprentice. Learn how to cut stones for a master craftsman in a jewelry studio. Laguna Beach.” I applied and got the job.

I worked for this Festival of Arts Jeweler master craftsman for 2 ½ years and learned the craft of stone cutting (Lapidary). He kindly and generously sent me to the Gemology Institute of America (GIA) where I was a student in the gem faceting course. I had to make a choice so I quit the jazz school and started my own business when I was 20. I created a lapidary service where I would go around to various jewelry stores and pick up independent contracting work fixing their stones. I also started traveling around the West Coast doing arts and crafts shows displaying and selling the pieces I made. I had moderate success but even though I wasn’t lighting the world on fire, I loved the gypsy life and meeting other artists at the shows. 

In 1984 I started showing my work at the Sawdust Festival. This is my 41st year.

Now I travel all over the world looking for gems from different countries. Every year I search out mines and lagoons in distant lands and go on adventures hunting down unusual pieces to use in my work so I can bring them to my wonderful customers at the Sawdust Festival.