Release...

Unsure of where to begin writing a blog, I decided upon the idea of "release", letting go of the expectations and the pressures of writing and just begin with the story of a piece of jewelry.

This is the first "floating flower petals" necklace I created. I recently sold it to a woman who said it reminded her of her grandmother who had just passed away. She asked me what I had been thinking of when I created the piece. As I'd formed and pieced the petals of the flower together, I had decided to leave one petal away from the rest, "floating" up the chain as if letting go, releasing it to the wind. The customer then told me of how her lively and healthy grandmother's sudden passing had shocked the entire family. She said that when she looked at this piece of jewelry, she immediately thought of her grandmother and of her floating freely away, but that she will always remain near in her heart.

I realized that it was because of my own grandmothers that I had a love and fascination for beads at a young age. It was always a special occasion when my grandma would pull out her jewelry box and let my sisters and me play with the faux pearls and fancy "jewels". I loved the smooth feel of the beads as I let them run through my fingers, mesmerized by how the beads sparkled in the light.

Both my grandmothers have passed away, but will forever be inspirations in my jewelry creations.