Getting here was quite a journey, not just geographically. I was born and raised in Germany (so please forgive the long sentences) and came to the beautiful Northwest in 1995. After working in the software industry for many years I saw the light in 2006 and became a jeweler. No, it was not a decision based on logic, economical analysis or thorough planning. Life had to throw some rather obvious and somewhat painful "hints" in my directions before I came to my senses. Or lost them, as you might argue. Either way, it was not a moment to early. So, after finally seeing that aforementioned light, I decided to jump in with both feet and signed up for the "Jewelry Technician Intensive" class at the "Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts" in San Francisco. I was not really surprised to find that I loved it, even though they were not kidding about the "intensive" part. They taught enough to get me off to a good start, or as my husband might argue, just enough to be dangerous. Either way, I am now officially a certified Jewelry Technician. Making jewelry puts me in a rather pleasant state of mind. It makes me calm, peaceful and almost always very happy. Sure, you can hear the occasional mumbling coming from my studio when I melt a piece during the last step of fabrication, or drop one of those tiny stones on the floor, but it is nothing compared to the yelling that could be heard coming from my office when my computer crashed for the umptyseventh time a day. Now I kind of wonder why it took me so long to realize I am a really a jeweler and not a programmer. It seems rather obvious that my tool of choice is a torch, not a keyboard. I always loved jewelry. Not that I used to wear a lot of it, I just always loved to look at it. I guess that might also have to do with the fact that the pieces I liked were not for sale, or if they were I could not afford them. I always loved old jewelry. Art Nouveau is wonderful. And then there are the ancient masterpieces that goldsmiths created more than 2000 years ago. The designs and workmanship are just incredible. How they did it with the tools they had available I will never understand. I dream about creating work like that and I'm still shooting for my personal moon (or moons as it were). I live in a rural area north of Seattle with my husband and our three dogs, which are all very patient and supportive. Thank you for stopping by and please do come back.