Bog Knees and Pine Trees was inspired by a trip to the cedar bogs of eastern North Carolina during one of Helen’s forestry classes at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Glass cabs by artist Hannah Rosner are featured.
Desert Museum necklace was inspired by a trip many years ago to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson, Arizona. The necklace was in response to a call to design with specific beads made by Toho, Preciosa, and other Czech manufacturers. Centerpiece is comprised of dried botanical finds from around Helen’s property, encased in resin and bezeled with Toho seed beads, embellished with Preciosa beads. This was a design challenge for 2025.
When Bison Roamed the Plains is inspired by the native tall grass prairies that Helen and her husband Charles are cultivating on their property in central Ohio. With native plants whose roots can tap into water tables up to a dozen feet or deeper, they stand the test of time and offer food and shelter to myriad animals and pollinators. This piece was a competition necklace created for the Battle of the BeadSmith’s annual challenge.
These were some of the first earrings Helen created with Les Perles par Puca® – Paris. At the time, she had only a smattering of colors and styles. Here, she combined Tinos® and Arcos® with petal drop beads from the Czech Republic to create what her granddaughter aptly named “Dewdrop Earrings.”
These necklaces were inspired by a Victorian oil painting. Using thoroughly modern materials, Helen has reimagined the necklace on this beautiful painting for today’s style-conscious woman who favors old world charm.
Helen’s design using Samos par Puca® and Arcos par Puca® is easy to wear. It sits beautifully on the wrist and gets noticed! Also easy to make, for advanced beginners and up.
After a lengthy, three-decades-long absence from college, Helen returned in the nineties to attend NCSU in Raleigh, NC. These earrings are loosely inspired by NCSU’s Memorial Tower, also known as the Bell Tower. The tutorial for these earrings is available here.
A trip through the Appalachian mountains in spring inspired these three-petaled beauties, named after the wildflower that grows prolifically on the edge of forests outside of Asheville, NC. You can find the tutorial for these earrings for sale here.
Recently, Helen finds herself influenced by the works of master artists, from the Renaissance and Victorian times. She enjoys using humble beads to build opulent creations such as her Raphael necklace, a piece reminiscent of jewelry seen in portrait paintings.
Helen wanted to create a dramatic necklace with Czech glass bone beads and Les Perles par Puca® – Paris. This was the result! Surely, these bracelets and matching earrings will get you noticed any day of the week!
The Diana earrings feature a center column of right angle weave with Minos® and from there are embellished with Arcos® and seed beads. With a little adjustment, this design easily converts to a bracelet.