Specialty Beads started when I went on a hiking tour to Italy. I was immediately in love with the country! In one of the little Italian towns we hiked through I purchased a string of Venetian beads which would change my life. I returned home and opened a bead store that specialized in Italian Beads. The only thing I knew about computers was how to send an email, but I believed in myself and my vision, and I started developing a web store. My husband Gary was easily convinced to join in on this adventure in the beading world when he realized that travel was involved and Italy was the perfect starting point for Gary because of his Italian heritage!

On my second trip to Italy, Gary and I came across a beautiful Italian Mesh Ribbon Necklace in a little tiny back alley store on the island of Murano. Once again I knew that I had found something magical in the Italian Mesh Ribbon and it would be a huge part of our future! We have expanded to carry beautiful mesh ribbons, amazing beads, incredible stringing materials and specialty findings. I have been blessed to travel to Italy 10 times while developing our connections with bead and ribbon makers!

Over the years of teaching jewelry making in our store I grew to love the beauty of silver and taught myself more and more about hand crafting silver jewelry. I love sawing, etching, embossing, and soldering silver. I love to bring the silver to life by creating a picture, a place, or a feeling. We no longer have our store, and this has given me the chance to build a new web store, which includes some of my jewelry. You can also find my jewelry in several stores in Truckee and the Tahoe basin.

We live in the mountains near Lake Tahoe and love the endless beauty and the opportunity to live in a small supportive community. We often say our philosophy is to work hard - play hard. I love paddle boarding and Gary is addicted to golf. We have 3 sons and 3 grandchildren and feel truly blessed!