Designer Profile
Creating unique and unusual jewelry started as a hobby for me. I have always loved silver jewelry and beading seemed like a fun way to increase my collection. Soon after making my first designs, I discovered my hobby had the potential to be more than that. While working as a city planner for the Borough of Manhattan in New York City in the late 1990’s, I would arrive at work wearing three bracelets and leave wearing only one, having sold the others to colleagues. A move to Oregon in 2001 and the scarcity of jobs in my field made the change from urban designer to jewelry designer seem to be a natural transition.My designs combine my experiences living in urban New York and Oregon’s natural beauty to give my work a distinctive look. I find inspiration in materials, environments, and lifestyles. It is my firm belief that jewelry should make a statement, not a suggestion. My designs reflect that principle in their boldness of scale, texture, and color. Degrees in architecture and urban design afford a perspective of the impact details make on style.
Gemstones, pearls, crystals, glass, natural and found materials are used as accents for handmade fine silver beads crafted by the Karen Hill Tribe in Thailand. Recently, beads designed specifically for Herdesign creations have been made by the Hill Tribe. They have been creating hand made silver beads and jewelry for over 700 years (see “Hill Tribe Beads” under the heading “What is fine silver?”).
In an effort to create original designs, I continue to learn new jewelry-making skills. Wire work, forging, and fusing fine silver have added exciting new dimensions to my portfolio of work. Recently, I learned to rivet and to weave wire baskets, skills I plan to incorporate into my newest designs. Hand-wrought fine silver chains suit both men and women as bracelets and necklaces. Agates found while beach-combing on the Oregon Coast are captured in baskets woven from fine silver wire, accented with cultured pearls. The price of silver is going up every day — the current price/gram is more than twice what it was a year ago — so I have started using copper in some of my newest work, channeling the great wire jewelry artist (and creator of amazing mobiles), Alexander Calder. Please visit the website often to see my latest designs.
H E R D E S I G N features one-of-a-kind and limited edition designs. Custom orders are welcome.