My career in jewelry began in the 1970s. My work and designs evolved from silver to 18k gold and enamel pieces using the lost wax casting technique. During the last several years, my work has undergone many changes as I began working with mild steel.

I can feel the second that it happened. I had a drawing, and I looked at it and I thought, ‘I can do it in wax … but I could also hammer it out.’ It was like boom. At the time, I knew nothing about hammering or chasing! I did a series of pieces and they sold; that’s a huge compliment to a craftsperson, when their work sells. From that point, I was able to move in a lot of directions.

Steel and gold have a wonderful kind of balance between the color and the malleability. Steel is definitely a different metal. It is heavy, but once you get it hot, it’s like pulling taffy. Once you learn that the moment to strike is when it’s that particular color, then you start having fun.