Announcement    You know it intuitively, beauty has a way of making us feel better. Mother Nature uses our appreciation of beauty to decrease levels of stress hormones and increase immunity. For countless eons, we have used shells, stones, flowers and feathers to make “I am” statements and feel better.
In modern art, an entire movement was dedicated to honoring the beauty of nature. Begun at the turn of the twentieth century, it was called Art Nouveau. Art Nouveau was a visual alternative and reaction to the rapid industrialization, pollution and desecration of the Western world.

Echoing the popularity of Art Nouveau, Surrealism, Minimalism and Art Deco on the fashions and fads of the 1960's and 70's, I dubbed my jewelry collection, Nouveau Retro. I also pay homage to West African aesthetic forms and colors, using cowrie shells and making my own beads inspired by West African textiles and materials from polymer clay. Like our ancestors, I am mindful of, and happy to relate the folklore of the natural stones and the organic materials I use in the creation of art jewelry.