When I was 12 and growing up in Vancouver, my family would go and spend summers on Vancouver Island. One sunny day, I decided I would go out and sell my friendship bracelets. I made a large batch of them in a variety of colors, and placed them on a bed of flower petals in an old picnic basket. I would go door-to-door asking my neighbors if they would like to purchase one of my bracelets. I don't think I sold one bracelet that summer, however, having the nice Canadian neighbors I had, they instead would give me money to go away. This didn't deter me, and in fact I think it did the exact opposite.

My passion for jewelry has only grown with me through the years and I believe it was fate that let me be born into a family of jewelers. Almost everyone in my family has studied jewelry making or worked in the jewelry industry at some point in their lives. I studied metalwork under one of my aunts (a goldsmith/jeweler of over 40 years!) and immediately became enchanted! There's something special about metalwork that's not available in other styles of jewelry making. For instance, in metalwork if you mess up or decide you don't care for a design, you can simple melt it down and start again. Nothing gets thrown away but rather recycled back into the shop. I love that and I think it's also what makes handmade items so special.

Since my jewelry is handmade, I like to think that I put a little bit of love into every piece. When you hold a handmade item, you're holding an item that's made from the heart. I put my time, energy and soul into every little item, just for you! I do this because I think that's something everyone deserves to have and receive.