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When I was 26, I remember the sting of several relationships broken, the stacatto screams of discontent with my current job, an aching in my bones to leave a city that generations of family called 'home'. Deciding to relocate was the easy part.

Where do I go, What will I do, How will I survive? An assalt of questions and self-doubt crossed my mind with a cold, burning sensation, like sleet on bare skin. Worse were the interrogations from family and friends, not wanting me to move.

A large part of my eagerness to live in a different city was my desire to continue developing my artistic vision in an environment that would provide opportunities to exhibit work, garner critical feedback, and grow as an individual and as an artist. So I decided to further my education in my field of jewelry/metalsmithing.

I narrowed down my search to three schools in three locations that seemed desirable to live in. I've always enjoyed smaller, pedestrian and artist-friendly cities, living among like-minded young people, in a geographically diverse setting.

I chose Fort Collins, CO (CSU), Savannah, GA (SCAD), and Richmond, VA (VCU). And to my surprise, I was accepted into two out of three of the schools. But for some reason, the one that I was truly drawn to, was the one that didn’t accept me, VCU. I had been put on a wait list for the program – only two spots available each year in the MFA metals program.

So in 2005, I took a chance and loaded all of my possessions into a medium-sized U-Haul truck, and with the help of my brother, I made the cross-country trek to Richmond, VA. Although, I was not accepted into the MFA program at VCU, I continued my studies there for two years, and realized that it wasn’t the actual degree I was after, merely the time and space to develop my work in an educational setting, with access to tools and instruction.

I have no regrets whatsoever about relocating to Richmond on a whim. I followed my intuition, going against what was logical, and in the process, I met a most wonderful man, who I adore, my Sugar.

For my 31st birthday last weekend, I wanted to explore a path not taken. I had already visited CSU in Fort Collins, CO, but I was still curious about Savannah, GA. I had, not only received an invitation to enter the MFA program there, but I had been granted a partial scholarship… to which I gave serious consideration. So we kissed the kitties (Potter, Albus, and Sprout) goodbye and loaded up the X-Terra for the 7 hour drive South.

I discovered that even on the coldest weekend of the year, Savannah, was hauntingly beautiful. There is no doubt I would have loved living there in the Historic District amidst the many parks, city river, and nearby sandy beaches. Savannah is a city rich with history, old architecture, art galleries, restaurants, and boutiques, Spanish moss dangling from every tree. And who could forget the alligators lurking in the marsh across the river, waiting for an unsuspecting coot or egret to venture near? In this case, my Sugar and I were the unsuspecting passers-by, initially mistaking a sunning 8-foot gator for a log in the grass… that is… until we got just a little closer to Mrs. Ali Gator and saw her toothy underbite.

Artichoke Ring is a one-of-a-kind, art jewelry ring that grew from my love affair with artichokes.

I hand formed the Artichoke Ring out of soft wax and then cast it in solid, sterling silver using the lost wax casting method.

The Artichoke Ring is hardy (just like the vegetable) with a healthy weight to it. The band measures approximately 5 mm in width.