The piece that taught me how intention, spirituality, and making could live in the same breath

This bracelet is one of the earliest pieces in my creative life — a quiet echo of the very first design I made for my yoga instructor. I’ve always been drawn to the spirituality of yoga, the way breath and presence can anchor a person, and these stones were chosen with that same intention. Each 6mm bead represents one of the seven chakras, arranged in a gentle spectrum that mirrors the energy centers they correspond to.

The Om charm is a remnant from that first offering — a small piece of my beginning that stayed with me. Holding it now, I can still feel the simplicity and sincerity of those early days, when I was just discovering how materials could carry meaning.

This bracelet isn’t part of my current collections. It belongs to the story of how I learned to listen, to choose intentionally, and to create with purpose. It’s a chapter of my evolution — one that still feels warm in my hands.

Materials & Details

• 6mm natural gemstone beads representing the seven chakras

• Amethyst — crown

• Sodalite — third eye

• Amazonite — throat

• Green Aventurine — heart

• Yellow Tigereye — solar plexus

• Carnelian Red Agate — sacral

• Red Jasper — root

• Silver Om charm (from my earliest work)

• Silver‑tone oval accent beads

• Toggle clasp

• One‑of‑a‑kind

The chapter where I learned that metal has rules — and I learned how to bend them

This necklace comes from the season when I was just beginning to understand that chainmaille isn’t only about weaving rings — it’s about learning the language of metal. I ordered rings that were far larger than I expected, long before I knew anything about wire gauge, aspect ratio, or inside diameter. And yet, with those oversized rings in hand, I taught myself the Byzantine weave for the very first time.

The 14mm gunmetal glass pearls were another early surprise — purchased on sale before I had any sense of scale. Today I think in millimeters; back then, I thought in “that looks pretty.” When the beads arrived, they were enormous, glossy, and unexpectedly dramatic. I couldn’t find a clasp strong or large enough to balance the weight, so I made one myself.

This piece isn’t what I originally envisioned, but it became something better: a reminder that experimentation, miscalculations, and improvisation are all part of becoming an artist. It’s bold, shiny, and a little bit stubborn — just like I was when I made it.

Materials & Details

• Byzantine chainmaille weave

• Aluminum rings (lightweight, tarnish‑resistant)

• 14mm gunmetal glass pearls

• Handmade “S” clasp

• Length: 20 inches

The chapter where I learned that beauty lives beyond the metals I thought I knew

This necklace marks the moment when bronze entered my creative life. For a long time, I thought of jewelry only in terms of silver or gold — the familiar metals, the ones I grew up seeing. But at a local gem show, I began noticing the quiet warmth of bronze: its earthy glow, its softness, its ancient‑feeling presence. It felt grounded, human, and unexpectedly beautiful.

I found these cage‑style beads and the large hammered bronze focal on that same day. The moment I held them, I could see a piece that could move between casual and business, between modern and rustic, between structure and ease. The open spiral beads had a kind of architectural rhythm, and the hammered square focal — with its warm, honey‑colored crystal suspended inside — felt like a window catching late afternoon light.

This necklace became one of my first explorations into bronze, and it opened a door I didn’t know I needed. It taught me that my materials could expand, that my palette could shift, and that beauty often lives in the places we weren’t taught to look.

Materials & Details

• Hammered bronze square focal with suspended crystal

• Ten 10mm bronze spiral beads

• Bronze rings and curb chain

• Lobster clasp

• Length: 18 inches

The chapter where I learned to listen — and discovered that versatility could be its own kind of beauty.

This piece comes from a period when I was trying to understand what made my work stand out in the crowded, competitive world of Etsy. I kept searching for a niche, something that felt both true to me and genuinely useful to the people who found my shop.

One day, someone mentioned that they loved a necklace I’d made as a choker but wished it were longer — something closer to a matinee length. That simple comment sparked an idea: what if a necklace could shift between lengths without compromising its design?

This became the solution: a 16‑inch necklace with a toggle clasp, paired with a matching extender that could bring it to 21 inches. It was practical, elegant, and unexpectedly popular. I made a small series, and this is the last one.

The jasper beads — softly variegated in beige, dusty green, and muted red — sit within glass rondelles and metal accents that echo their earthy tones. The result is a neutral, grounded palette that pairs easily with anything. It’s a piece that adapts, shifts, and moves with the wearer, just as I was learning to adapt and shift in my own creative journey.

Materials & Details

• 10mm jasper beads in neutral, variegated tones

• Glass rondelles

• Metal accent beads

• Bronze toggle clasp on necklace

• Matching 5" extender with toggle clasp

• Wearable lengths: 16" or 21"

The chapter where I learned that beauty isn’t just in the materials - it’s in the balance between them

This piece began with a pendant that was far larger than anything I had ever worked with — a filigree focal nearly four inches tall. I found it at a jewelry show and fell in love instantly. It was ornate, dramatic, and full of possibility. I built an entire necklace around it, using African Turquoise beads and bronze chain to honor its presence.

But when I stepped back, I realized the truth: the pendant was simply too big for most people to wear comfortably. It was beautiful, but it overwhelmed the design.

That realization taught me something essential — that jewelry isn’t only about the materials you love, but about how they live on a body.

I went searching for a focal that could carry the same spirit without overpowering the piece, and I found this patina pendant. Smaller, but still striking. Textured, but not loud. It honored the African Turquoise beads I had already chosen, and suddenly the whole necklace felt balanced, grounded, and complete.

This piece marks the moment I began to understand proportion, scale, and the quiet power of editing. It’s a chapter about learning to listen not just to materials, but to the harmony between them.

Materials & Details

• African Turquoise 8mm beads with bronze accents

• Patina pendant (1.5 inches)

• Bronze wheat chain

• Bronze lobster clasp

• Necklace length: 31 inches