I grew up in the Philadelphia area and was lucky enough to go to a high school that offered a silversmithing class as part of their art curriculum. I took my first class in 11th grade and was hooked.

From there, I continued my art education, going to Millersville State College first and then finishing my Bachelor’s of Art at Penn State University, switching to a concentration in photography.

After working for a while in various fields, I went to work for my parents who owned an antique jewelry store, and there my love for jewelry resurfaced. I took a few more jewelry classes and decided that I really wanted to make my own jewelry.

I moved to Washington, D.C. and began my jewelry business in 1992, selling at Eastern Market and other local venues. I then moved on to exhibiting in juried shows all over the country and also began to wholesale my work, selling to over 100 retail stores across the United States.