I was born in Honolulu HI, and raised in Marin County, CA, and today I reside in the beautiful Napa Valley with my husband, Chuck and my two dogs Emma and Little Bit. My journey into the jewelry world began 17 years ago, when through a friend I was introduced to seed beads and became fascinated with the colors and the designs that could be created through weaving these beads together using stitches that I taught myself through books and other mediums.

Today however, I create jewelry using sterling silver and 14k gold-filled wire, semi-precious stones, crystals, Murano beads, and various other findings that she finds on-line or when attending gem and bead shows. Recently my husband and I have been collecting slabs of semi-precious stones that my husband then cuts, shapes and polishes creating beautiful gemstone cabochons, which I use in creating my on-of-a-kind pieces. My jewelry is designed and created using a mix of techniques with wire such as wire wrapping, wire coiling and wire weaving. I also design pieces using my bead weaving skills. I continue to learn new skills so that I can apply them when creating new designs.

My jewelry can be seen during the summer months at Fine Art & Wine festivals throughout Northern California, and on the internet at the following venues: www.artfire.com/avadesigns and www.facebook.com/avadesigns