Born in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia to American parents, Victoria had traveled to 25 countries by the age of 5, making her a natural nomad. Early memories include visiting Bedouins in their desert encampments and being held up by bandits while traveling overland in the Middle East. She continued her travels as soon as she was old enough to strike out on her own, including a trip in an aging VW bus to the town of Goulamine in southern Morocco to buy antique African trade beads, thus igniting an incurable passion for beads, gemstones and power jewelry.

Her work is inspired by time spent in England, Ibiza, Afghanistan, Morocco, Egypt, and the Greek islands. One impactful memory is of a group of Kuchi nomads riding down Chicken Street in Kabul, Afghanistan. It was memorable due to the pride and fierceness of the colorfully adorned Kuchi women with their strikingly bold jewelry and uncovered heads. They were a vivid contrast to the burka-clad Afghan women.

Victoria is greatly inspired by the many aspects of Nature. As a child in England she and her parents lived in an old farmhouse on a property known for its gardens. She and her “secret friend” Florabelle passed many an hour hanging out with the trees and flowers. As an only child it would have been quite lonely if not for the wondrous world of the plant spirits, elementals and animal companions.

The Constellations jewelry lines utilize precious and semi-precious gemstones, crystals, hand-crafted silver talismans and charms, and a wide selection of glass beads and pendants including Murano, Lampwork, dichroic, foil-lined, and borosilicate. Glass beads with opalescent and ethereal qualities are sought out and treasured. The transformational properties of the gemstones, the colors of the glass, the weaving of silver wire under the guidance and influence of fairies and goddesses, together with fine silver talismans, conspire to deliver delightfully unique and magical creations.

Constellations is also the birthpoint of starry silver charms, talismans and head adornments. They are made of precious metal which is sculpted and fired, producing solid fine silver. Her earlier work with polymer clay helped her to come up to speed in this medium. While she is mostly self-taught she had the good fortune to study polymer clay under Tory Hughes who would always ask her students as they worked on a project, “Does it please you?”, thus bringing the student back to the most important purpose of their work. Victoria is happy to report that her current work is really pleasing.

A graduate of Sonoma State and corporate world drop-out, Victoria now lives and works at the Okey Dokey Corral in Rough and Ready, Calif. She is the mother of 11: 5 cats, 2 dogs, 1 donkey, 1 pig and 2 horses (one full size and one mini named Comet who rules the roost).