When I was younger, I spent countless wonderful hours in a magical world that was the creation of my family and myself. Aryllia was an island, and it was separated from our world here by not only centuries and galaxies but also by a degree of richness not common in this molecular world on which we live most of our lives. In Aryllia, nothing was ever plain or machine-made, boring or common. A work of art was created by hands that loved what they were doing. Consequently, everything of beauty in Aryllia had a depth that our cultures often stifle. But then, we were living in our heads, and our powers of creation were limited only by our imaginations.
Now, when there is sometimes a danger that Aryllia and all she stood for will fade, I take immense pleasure in knowing that my craft and my art are being made by loving hands from an imagination that has always been in love with design. I am thusly able to eschew that aspect of our industrialization that has led to “beautiful” things being made by a woman in China for slave wages, to be mass produced by machines that will clone it into thousands, often using artificial or low-quality materials. In this observation, I feel that my craft has become part of my quest. For that reason, I never make a second copy of anything.
Unless specifically stated to the contrary, I use only “real” components. All metal is sterling silver. There is no plastic, no plating. The only glass I use is handmade lampwork or dichroic. The greatest joy I find in this work is holding a piece of jasper in my hand and seeing an abstract design that puts Nature far above the greatest of our visual artists. My mission is so very simple: to create beautiful items, jewelry that would feel at home on the Island of Aryllia.
