I use stones and beads from all over the world both natural and man made. Semi-precious stones, like amethyst, carnelian, and opals, are always beautiful to work with, and I use heaps of rose and smokey quartz (pink and grey are my favorite).

I use a lot of red and peach coral, and a lot of shell (I'm a Florida girl, I have to stay true to my roots). Lately I have been using a lot of agate, it comes in a variety of shades of pink and lime green all the way to clear and cloudy blue. It is very delicate and changes color in the light.

I love the look of handspun Japanese pearls, they come in all colors and blend to the color of your outfit. The grey ones go with black and light blue, the pink ones go with red. I am a huge fan of vintage Swarovski crystals and when I can get my hands on the WWII-era crystals I buy as many as I can, I especially love the opaque blood red and the gold ones. Anything I can get my hands on really, in Zambia I bought some porcupine quills that are going to make really great earrings for work and here in SF I found heaps of vintage sequins from the 1950s that are going to be great earrings for going out.