About

The Chambered Nautilus has always been my favorite invertebrate - I love the way it will build a new living chamber when it outgrows the current one.
It serves as a metaphor for my life and my art......creating new as I build upon the old.
Welcome to my journey!
Materials
Each piece is meticulously hand-crafted by opening and closing individual jump rings for a polished look, with an end goal of providing high-quality chainmaille jewelry. There are endless weaves and variation on those weaves so I am constantly learning and creating. Many of my pieces are OOAK or one of a kind due to materials used and time taken to make them.
I use 316 Stainless Steel in my creations. This is both a marine-grade and hypoallergenic metal which allows the wearer to go into the ocean, shower or pool without worry. Many of my clients wear my stainless pieces and never take them off. The bronze I use is also marine-grade but, unlike stainless steel, it will develop a beautiful patina and darken over time if you allow.
Copper is another one of my favorite materials to use, both in rings for chainmaille and as accent pieces. Many of the accent pieces have been flame painted using a propane/oxygen torch, a process which requires precision and is dependent on the humidity of the day, among other variables. These pieces are then sealed so they will retain their colorful patterns. This gives the copper pieces a uniqueness that often is difficult to duplicate so you are truly wearing a one of a kind piece!
You will note many of my pieces are accented using Niobium, an element on the Periodic Table. It is physiologically inert and hypoallergenic and used in medical applications such as pacemakers and prosthetics. In its natural state it is similar in color to Stainless Steel. The gorgeous rich colors are achieved by putting the metal into an electrolyte solution and applying electricity directly to the metal which in turn oxidizes the exterior of the metal. The voltage will determine the color and the rainbow niobium is created by increasing voltage over time. Due to the time-intensive nature of the anodizing and the rarity of niobium it is approximately 7 times the cost of stainless steel hence its use as accents.
Bright aluminum is lightweight and hypoallergenic. It will never rust or tarnish and is easy to clean with a bit of soap and warm water. Bright aluminum items worn consistently will take on a muted gray patina - you can even wear them in the shower with no corrosion! I do not suggest you wear them in a pool or the ocean as the chemicals and minerals will etch the aluminum.
Anodized aluminum is bright aluminum with a dyed coating. Care should be taken with anodized aluminum as the colored coatings may be scratched or may be affected by the wearer's body chemistry, lotions, oils, etc. Each piece can be easily cleaned with soap, warm water and drying with a soft cloth.
Other materials I use in my creations are jewelers brass, Czech glass beads, Scarab wings, Japanese seed beads, Swarovski crystals, pearls, hand crafted lampwork and ceramic beads. The clasps and pendant chains are Stainless unless otherwise noted and the earring hooks are 304 Stainless Steel. I make the earring hooks by hand so if you would prefer another metal please let me know. All of the jump rings and wire used are made in North America. I endeavor to source the remainder of the items it use from North American companies as I believe the quality is far above that of other countries.