When I was in middle school, I yearned to learn stained glass. I am not sure what sparked the interest, but I thought glass jewelry that played with light would look beautiful.  As my family lived in an area where classes were not available, I contented myself with painting on jars.

Years later, when I was working  in Japan, I took stained-glass classes with an idea of making jewelry. We made everything except that and I quickly realized that the methods used were simply too heavy for accessories.

Back in the US when I was looking for a glass supplier, I found a place that taught glass fusion classes. Intrigued, I took a workshop and fell in love. I promptly bought a kiln and started experimenting.

Deriving inspiration from masterpieces by artists such as Klimt and Kandinsky, I make accessories that demonstrate the multi-faceted nature of the medium. Windows and vines of varying opacity play with light, and rich hues and detail are results of mineral reactions in the kiln.

I work mainly with silver foil (thick silver leaf) as its alchemical nature enables an array of diverse looks including delicate multi-layered, painterly, and beach gem. The highly temperamental quality of silver foil makes each piece impossible to replicate, intrinsically unique.

All UmberGlass is handmade by me, the sole artist, in the lower Hudson Valley where I live.  The large sheets of glass from which the jewelry is created is made in Portland, Oregon.