If you had asked me 10 years ago if I thought I would be a jewellery artisan, I would have probably said no. But when I think back to my childhood, I was always busy doing some type of craft. My late grandmother taught me how to knit and my mom and I attended lots of creative classes making things like ceramics, macrame…and more.
Fast forward to my 20’s! I attended university here in Ontario, Canada and graduated with a science degree and an elementary teacher’s certificate. I was a teacher for a number of years but then life changed. I was blessed with having two sons and I decided I wanted to stay home with them.
But as the children grew and became more independent, my role started to change as well. By the time my youngest was in Grade 1, I was experiencing bouts of anxiety and decided I needed a new purpose. I started attending various community classes in the Toronto area to figure out what types of activities I enjoyed.
It took a few different classes before I found ones that I really connected with. The first one was silversmithing and eventually I took classes with silver metal clay. I fell in love with silver clay because I can form and mold it into endless possibilities. The clay begins in a wet stage, but once it has dried, it is sanded and fired in a kiln. The kiln transforms it into 99.9% pure silver. From there it is polished, oxidized with a chemical darkener and finished with 92.5% sterling silver findings to create a new piece of jewellery.
I have always loved the outdoors. Whether exploring here in Canada or while travelling abroad, my eyes are always drawn to various flora and fauna. I collect real plants and flowers and use imprints of them to make jewellery …making them truly one of a kind.
Why arthritis? It is a very personal cause for me as I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis over 10 years. I have many family members and friends who also live with some form of arthritis.
