I was born in Sacramento, CA, in 1975. My grandmother, Nina Wallace, was the only adult who was kind and loving with me, and the only one I could relax and be myself around. We lived next door to her for several years and she always encouraged me to work with my hands, to read, and to be open to new experiences, like the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco. I never planned on making jewelry, I had always wanted to be an actress or a marine biologist. In 1995, I took a Metalsmithing class at Santa Fe Community College, thinking I was going to be making toolboxes and things like that. It turned out to be a jewelry class. Since everything I made out of silver and stones sold from then on, it became my livelihood. It also felt natural. I think I'm a born artist, whatever the medium. Since that class, I've taken blacksmithng with Frank Turley, learned plique a jour (backless cloissone, like a Tiffany window you can wear) enamelling, raising (hammering a silver disc over iron stakes to make hollow ware), chasing (drawing on metal with steel tools), repousse (bumping from the back), and a lot of other jewelry techniques.
My hobbies include bellydancing (I made a silver bra and belt costume), aikido, and I am in film school as well. In 2007, I took acting and directing classes with Vanja Aljinovic, an accomplished Assistant Director. He was the first father figure who was kind, patient, and generous with me, and funny as hell.