I’ve loved fashion and jewelry since I was a little girl. I remember making a necklace out of paperclips, contact paper and faux pearls when I was about 8 years old. I gave it to my grandma and I thought it looked beautiful on her. She was so proud to wear it to bridge club and that made me so happy. I never lost my enthusiasm for fashion and making women feel good about themselves. After completing my degree in Psychology I had 4 small children and I decided to work at an upscale boutique in the evenings just to be involved in that industry. It wasn’t long before I was redesigning some of the jewelry in my head, using higher quality materials and adding my own design ideas. Eventually I went to a bead store and started teaching myself wire wrapping techniques and creating my own jewelry. I wore it to the store and the other employees asked to buy similar pieces for themselves. It became a problem when the customers started to bypass the store’s jewelry case in favor of the pieces that the sales associates were wearing. The boutique owner told me that if I wanted the employees to wear my jewelry I’d have to make one of each for the store. Soon my jewelry was outselling the high-end name brand jewelry and I started creating whole collections of different styles. My brand started to gain recognition. The Vikings (NFL) organization asked me to design gifts for their corporate sponsors, then the coaches wives recruited me to design their personal jewelry. Eventually I had to quit working at the boutique but I continued to create and sell my jewelry line which I had named Oie jewelry, simply my last name. As time went on, my son and (future) daughter-in-law had gone to NY for internships and were looking for a way to earn some money. I sent them jewelry to sell on the street. They entertained some well known clients and even had repeat customers. One day a store owner came by and asked if they would consider selling the line at their store. The next day Oie jewelry was is the jewelry cases and adorning the mannequins looking out at the streets of SoHo. That very day Julia Roberts came in and purchased 2 pieces. She was in town making the movie Eat, Pray, Love. They said she mentioned how much she liked that Oie jewelry and that she’d be back for more. I sent a necklace with a medallion that was hand painted by monks in Tibet because I thought it would go with the theme of her movie. A little later a photo of her wearing that necklace was circulating online and everyone wanted that piece. Another store in NY picked up my line and things continued to grow organically. Today Oie jewelry is carried in retail stores as well as online. There are several things that set my line apart from others. First of all, I still carefully make every piece myself and I personally choose the high quality gemstones, pendants, and antique pieces. I personally design and have my pavé set diamond components made for me. I love making special, one of a kind pieces using antique medals and ancient coins. Another thing that is different about my line is that I use the actual, one-of-a-kind, authentic pieces rather than a coin or medal that is “made from a mold of an authentic antique coin or medal” which is what you’ll often find. It’s definitely more work and expense to have one of a kind pieces that can’t be duplicated for mass production but I believe that it’s worth it because it makes each piece unique and more special to its owner. These antique medals and coins have been treasured and given comfort and hope to their owners throughout the years and all around the world. Whether you choose a handmade gemstone piece, diamonds or something with an antique component, slow fashion is meant to last a lifetime and to be passed on.

When I first started out I wanted to buy the highest quality materials but I didn’t have the funds. I had a couple of gemstone vendors who believed in me and they would let me take home thousands of dollars worth of stones, silver and gold and pay them as I sold my designs. Of course, over 20 years later I still buy from these wonderful people as well as others that I have met along the way.