I use a variety of very high quality materials including:
 

Gemstones

  • Freshwater pearls

  • Tahitian pearls 

  • Natural coral

  • Garnet

  • Onyx

  • Jade

  • Tourmaline

  • Citrine

  • Quartz

  • Topaz

Glass beads

  • ”Boro” Art Glass

  • Swarovski crystal

  • Czech glass

Stringing materials
  • Sterling Silver chain
  • Sterling silver wire
  • Silk thread
  • Soft Flex® wire 
Sterling Silver components
Including Bali and Bali-style beads, chain, components and findings 

   
Gemstones
I work with a wide variety of gems including precious and semi-precious, and beads of various natural materials like abalone shell. Most beads I use are naturally colored, but some may be enhanced. Most beads are cut and drilled by hand, so they may not be uniform in size and shape. These are not flaws, rather adding character to the piece but do make it difficult to create balance and symmetry.

Pearls
I absolutely love pearls of all kinds and use them extensively in my creations. All pearls are not created equal; some are really unusual in their shape and size. Quality ranges from imperfect to very high quality. Some are naturally colored and some are dyed but all are beautiful to me! Please click here for more detailed information about pearls.

Lampwork Beads
“Boro” (borosilicate) glass beads are hand made, one at a time, by Artists melting glass rods with a torch. They are then kiln annealed to strengthen them. It takes a skilled artist to create matching beads! These beads are miniature works of art, and you can see their true colors in bright natural light. My favorite artists include Iris Bucholtz (a local artist), Rhonda Harris, and Catherine Ondrey just to name a few. I'm always on the lookout for new beads.


Sterling Silver
Most of my silver beads are handmade in Bali, Turkey, Israel and India. Since they are not machine made, there may be some variations, which add character to the overall product and are not considered flaws.


Stringing Material
I use Soft Flex® beading wire, silk thread, or sterling silver wire. Some designs require drilling the bead or pearl by hand to enlarge the whole for completion