I went to the hardware store, bought some brass wire and a pair of pliers, and began "drawing" with the wire.
For inspiration and ideas, I went to the library and checked out books on ancient jewelry from Egypt, Italy, and Greece. I noted that the ancient jewelry makers had always used nature for ideas. I began by making a butterfly.
A friend saw what I was doing and contacted Saks Fifth Avenue, suggesting they see my work. They called me and asked if I would bring some of my brass wirework to show to the store's buyers.
They promptly purchased everything I had with me!
I continue to make jewelry and experiment with new ideas. I have written many articles for magazines and have had feature articles written about my wire jewelry.
I have a collection of over 40 pieces. I now work not only in brass, but also sterling silver, gold filled wire, and copper wire. I also like to design necklaces using "found" objects.
Many people have encouraged me to write a book about my wire jewelry. I had all my collection professionally photographed in color. The book is WIRE JEWELRY: Portfolio of Designs and features 40 pieces of my work.
