Bio
I have loved horses since I can remember. Growing up in Chicago, I was not able to be with horses very often, so I started riding on a sawhorse I found in a neighbor's garage. I used a blanket for a saddle and a jump rope for a bridle. When my husband and I moved to Kentucky to attend school, I took the opportunity to acquire a real live horse of my own. I now live on a farm in Woodford County with my husband and nine horses. By day I work as a clinical psychologist and after hours I ride horses and make jewelry that attempts to express my lifelong feelings about these wonderful creatures. I named my business Sawhorse Jewelry Designs in honor of my very first riding experience.
My goal is to create “pictures” in my jewelry that capture the spirit of horses in their natural environments. I use sterling and brass and a jeweler’s saw to create horses engaging in typical equine behaviors such as running, jumping, standing, resting or grazing. The horses are then attached to backings of sterling silver (often with sterling sawdust fused to the surface) or natural stones, such as jaspers and agates. The use of jaspers or agates mimics the appearance of actual landscapes. When horses engaging in their normal behaviors are added to these stones, the jewelry uniquely represents the beauty and freedom horses bring to the world.