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Mayo--yes, my real name. My mom’s dad’s family came from County Mayo, Ireland.
I’m just grateful they didn’t come from County Cork . . . or Galway . . . or Tipperary.
It could’ve been much worse!
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I’m a third generation artist in a family of artists and writers
(and have done my share of needlework, papercraft, ceramics, quilting, watercolors, stained
glass and writing before finding my way to a passion for “all that glitters”).
Coming to jewelry design in the early '90's, I started with painted wood--large-scale
pieces without the weight--then moved into bead and wirework, incorporating cabachons and
handmade chain. You’ll still see evidence of my love for a variety of materials here.
However, the rhythm of geometric shapes possible in wire continue to fascinate me,
and the challenge of solderless design constantly pushes me to find more and more creative
approaches to the issues of basic construction.
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I’ve won some local prizes for my work, which has expanded now to include glass as well as
polymer and precious metal clays (PMC). I’ve sold my pieces in the Baltimore/Washington
metropolitan area in a variety of venues, from juried craft shows to in-home parties
(jewelry is personal, and I like the personal contact with my clients) as well as in local
boutiques and trunk shows for Nordstrom's.
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The idea of a website was born as much from frustration as anything else.
‘Disguised’ as a professional by day, there just aren’t enough hours in a 24-hour clock to include
jewelry design, fabrication and finishing in any quantity and travel to shows and in-home parties.
So, this site is an experiment, an attempt to find an alternative way to show and sell my work to
people who delight in the original, the different, the kind of wearable art that cannot be achieved
in mass production. Alongside that, my goal is to achieve a satisfying level of personal interaction
with those clients who want that. I love working with people to create custom pieces, helping both
men and women to express themselves through their statements of personal adornment (aka jewelry).
Please e-mail me with your comments, questions, or to start a discussion on how I can make something
wonderful for you.
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I guarantee my work, and that guarantee is simple:
1) as long as I’m alive and can still see and move my hands to work, and
2) as long as whatever has ‘gone wrong’ with your piece is not the result of negligence
(accidentally running over it in your driveway counts as negligence)—in other words, if it’s a
defect of materials or workmanship, I’ll fix it if that’s possible . . . and it usually is.
All you’ll pay is two-way postage. If you did run over it in your driveway, I’ll still try to fix it;
and the cost will be based on materials and complexity (complexity = time), but we’ll discuss it first.
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I hope you enjoy Designs by Mayo and I look forward to hearing from you.
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