I come from a big family of geologists and metalworkers. Rock hounding was a regular part of my childhood, traveling and searching for stones all over the world. I have always loved gems and crystals from day one.

I started making jewelry when I was 16. I began as an apprentice to Roger Fuller on Main Street in Park City, doing finish work for his line, polishing and sanding. When Roger moved his business to Zion, I continued my education with him through summer art sabbaticals there and began apprenticing in stone carving under Jonny George. I learned how to cut and carve my own cabochons and cut gems, then set the stones into precious metals, as well as how to make stone plugs. I began attending APP in 1999 as a vendor, creating custom jewelry for an industry that was just exploding with creativity.

From these apprenticeships in Utah, I started my own business. Inspired by the beautiful desert of Zion and working in a studio surrounded by Datura flowers, I named my business Datura Modified Design. I will always remember the hot summer nights surrounded by beautiful flowers, creating unique, one-of-a-kind, custom-fitted jewelry.

These apprenticeships led me to deeply desire learning the science behind the craft and extending my gem-setting abilities. I focused on many mediums of art in college in California but kept being drawn back to metalsmithing and gemology. From this training, I learned the behind-the-scenes workings of the jewelry industry, and that is why I adopted the ethical practice of using Fairmined gold, recycled silver, and sourcing gems from reputable suppliers who use ethical and ecological practices.

After college, I completed a two-year Jewelry Technician program and became a bench jeweler instructor at the California Institute of Jewelry Training, teaching coursework in fine jewelry repair, design, and production casting. These skills helped me deepen my craft and expand my business into a full catalog of new work. I opened my own apprenticeship program and tutored new artists in the craft, giving back, in a way, to the age-old system that sparked my learning.

I sold finely crafted piercing jewelry across the U.S. and produced small lines of artisan fine jewelry. Collaborations with many other artists to create pop-up art shows over the years led me to travel frequently and show my line in exciting new markets in places like Aspen, CO; Sun Valley, ID; and San Francisco, CA.

Returning to my roots in Utah and refining my studio down to the perfect size, I have stepped into an exciting era of creating my artisan bespoke jewelry as an independent artist and vending at many summer fine arts festivals across the West. This allows me to venture from home to art festivals and return to the studio to continue creating. Traveling helps me expand my clientele, where I can show new work and offer custom design and ethical jewelry to larger audiences. But for an artist, there is no place like home. I truly love my long hours in the studio creating.

Stay tuned for my calendar of live events and seasonal online drops showcasing new work. And as always, contact me with inquiries about how I can create a one-of-a-kind custom piece of jewelry just for you.