ARTIST'S STATEMENT:
Niger, Africa– The Art of being Tuareg has been passed down in my family for 25 generations. My father taught me the ancient tradition of the "lost wax" method, using simple tools to hand-engrave each piece – screwdrivers, nails, safety pins, files, and charcoal. I dream of a design and I get up and make it the next day. Squatting over tiny fires, I create a clay mold from a wax prototype using goatskin bellows. To be Tuareg is to be free and dignified. This is expressed in my jewelry. The people love the jewelry; this makes me happy, too.