Growing up in rural Illinois, my passion for fine art began in my first grade classroom. I was simply amazed by my art teacher who taught me everything she knew about fine art. I knew my adult life would include the fine arts from the very beginning.

Over the years, my hobbies included; pencil sketching, watercolors, oriental brush painting and silk screening, and my career was in graphic design. About 10 years ago, creating original jewelry became my passion, making gifts for my family and friends.

Now retired from graphic design, I work full-time creating hand-crafted jewelry. I typically design my pieces around the beautiful and unique stone creations formed by nature. It's so easy to get mesmerized by the color and variety of stones that will make beautiful pieces of jewelry. The sterling silver, copper and brass components are cut, shaped, drilled and soldered by hand in my workshop. I then nestle selected stones into the created setting.

I offer my jewelry for purchase online, at local art shows, and at boutiques. Every order comes with an identifying tag listing the components and origin of the semi-precious stones used in your jewelry purchase. Your jewelry comes boxed with a little anti-tarnish tag to keep your jewelry shining as beautifully as the day it arrived.

So, why the name Swimming Turtle? Swimming Turtle was a natural choice for me, because I have always had a love for sea turtles. I have a huge collection of sea turtle collectables.

"Remember, no one is ever to young or old to find and explore new adventures in life. Finding that one passion that completes you may be just around the corner."

I hope you enjoy browsing through my shop.