I grew up with a love of beautiful, delicate things. Although I grew up as an urban child, I was drawn to the treasures produced naturally by the earth from the time I was very young. On trips to visit my family in Israel, I would spend hours picking up seashells and sandstone rocks along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. I would find small objects in nature with attractive qualities that called out to me. As I grew older, this developed into a deep love for gems and minerals.

Creative crafts are full of warm memories for me, having been handed down to me from truly beloved people throughout my life. My family was one that always encouraged creativity. The legacy began with my mother, who sewed and embroidered with me from the time I was very young. Years later, when a close friend taught me macrame, it was a profound gift - one that transcended into a new opening in my life. I immediately started combining intricate knotwork with gems, enjoying the process of working so closely with the crystal while creating the art. It felt deliciously inspired. Learning to use art and creativity to honor and express my love of these earthy treasures added another dimension to my connection to rocks and gems. A few years later, a dear friend showed me how to form a tubular peyote stitch in beadwork, and this medium truly sparked my passion - I dove into this creative process, using tiny little seed beads to fashion beauty in the process of nesting a jewel.

My sense of spiritual connection to nature is deeply intertwined in the expression form of bead art. The process is a meditative one, requiring great patience, and I pour myself into the making of each piece. The designs are created spontaneously, reflecting the qualities of the stone being used and the mood it fosters. In keeping with my intention to honor the natural beauty of gems and minerals, Olive Branch Art uses only the highest quality, untreated (no heated, dyed, bleached, or radiated) gems and minerals. Sometimes the gems are kept raw in their natural formation. The beads I use are natural stone or precious metal and the seed beads are glass. There is no glue or adhesive used in my work.

     As much as my work honors nature, it also seeks to express my love for people. When I am not designing wearable art, I work as a counselor and case manager at a domestic violence & rape crisis agency. Both the creative personal and professional workplace arenas represent to me an opportunity to offer support to others. Each piece of jewelry from Olive Branch Art is an offering, a tool that may be used to enhance one’s life in meaningful ways. They are meant to inspire and to balance. They are meant to make the one who wears them stand taller, with feet more firmly planted on the ground, and breathing deeply.