Beads have been with us for about 30,000 years. Found in every culture, beads hold a fascination for us. Mary uses as diverse a palette as possible in her designs to represent the people and the cultures of the world in harmonious relationship.
Her beads are collected from their original creators or from importers she meets at bead shows around the country. She uses beads of stone, bone, horn, glass, and many different metals. Several trips to Bali have inspired the use of hand carved fossilized Walrus Ivory. Hand blown glass from Venice and intricate silver work from Tibet are among some of her special favorites. "In many cases these beads are tiny sculptures. They are so incredible!" she says. Mary moved to Santa Fe in 1966 after graduating from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in Interior Design. She had her own business there for 24 years and made the move to Mountainair in 1990. The adventure in helping to create a cooperative gallery and to decide to learn the art of jewelry making have all been aided by her ongoing interest in design.