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One of my favorite things to do at the beach is search for sea glass. The mystery of where and when sea glass came from is both exciting and romantic. Colors in white, brown and beer bottle green are common to find; but shades of blue, purple, yellow and red are hard to come by. In Costa Rica, I sometimes find jade greens and thick black pieces that look brownish or olive green when held to the light. After doing some research, I found out that these black pieces are extremely rare and collectible. Black glass was made as early as the 1500's and stayed in circulation until the 1800's. Black glass was made before refrigeration to protect liquids sensitive...

Bored of the big malls and chain stores....snore... Come celebrate small business Saturday with Jenstones and Texture of Ghent in Norfolk, VA.  You won't be disappointed!   Show hours are 10  am - 5 pm!  

Over the past decade, designing jewelry in Mexico, I developed a fascination for the Mexican self- portrait artist Frida Kahlo. A feminist icon, she was a revolutionary woman in the 1930s-40s. She suffered a lot in life and I wonder what she would think of her current fame and her portraits on postage stamps and Mexican money.   I felt a connection to her when I started working with a silversmith who lived in la Casa de Diego Rivera. Frida was married to the famous Mexican painter Diego Rivera. Designing jewelry in their historic Casita gave me the feeling of going back in time. Picturing peacocks floating around the garden, I would call on her creativity and strength for inspiration.  Frida Kahlo wore very daring...