For most of us despair comes and goes. When we are absorbed by life’s daily obligations, we may find our despair fades to a quiet background thrumming or even disappears entirely. At other times our despair overwhelms us. In this way, our emotional lives move between the light and dark that surrounds us and is within us.

When worn, jewelry also moves. It is, in fact, the rare medium that is meant to be seen in motion. My work has often explored this kinetic aspect of jewelry.

In my Lumina Series, the glass brooches appear to dramatically change in color as the wearer moves. In this way they echo the way we experience our emotional lives. At one angle they may be vibrant and alive, infused with the bright, optimistic colors of sunrise. Even in modest ambient light, they sparkle and appear lit from within.

At another angle the colors may deepen, like sunlight tempered by cloud cover or fog. They retain the qualities inherent to polished gems, but there is a subdued melancholy to their intensity. While photos can capture only a single angle, when viewed in person, the shifting colors in these brooches speak to the variability of human emotion. Joy and despair coexist in each piece.