"My body of work has been created from the idea that material does not define the preciousness of an object. I have used non-precious raw materials such as brass and copper to fabricate the handmade elements of the work and costume jewelry made of base metal as the focal points. The methods of construction are pulled from traditional fine jewelry techniques. I incorporated fabric to create opposing textures and to play on the idea of precious jewels. I am inspired by materials and process. Influence for this work came from the manipulation of pre-owned costume jewelry and clothing that has been discarded by its owner. I used deconstruction of mass produced materials and reconstructed them using techniques of capturing. Melting, cutting, smashing, and otherwise destroying the raw materials allow me to discover the form in each piece."