I have given myself a new directive: put meaning into my jewelry. Sales in so many markets are down which caused me to think about what I was really providing in my work and all I came up with was fun and luxury. Which is fine and mainly what jewelry is all about. Well, a lot of people are cutting back on those two items so I had to dig deeper to find what I could do with my jewelry that would actually touch the hearts of shoppers in this particular area so that they didn't feel they were spending foolishly.I recently designed a bracelet for a favorite cupcake bead artist friend who came through cancer and it hit me that I could do this for so many others as well. My mother died of pancreatic cancer in 2002 and although I didn't have the disease myself, I see my experience as its own kind of survival. Whether we have the disease, aid those who do or want to provide a tactile object to those to represent our love & support, jewelry can be a very sentimental and powerful tool.
So my goal is to work with my friend, Bonnie, from Kennick Kreations who designs these beautiful polymer clay ribbon beads in various colors that show awareness for various types of cancer. My greatest interest is to design pieces that are custom to each individual and their experience. 15% of all these purchases will be made in the buyer's name to an appropriate research organization.
