But I'm sure I started playing with beads and jewelry when quite young.

As an adult, I became interested first and foremost with designing necklaces and bracelets, primarily from semi-precious stone beads, when I couldn't find a necklace I liked of the right length, for a formal affair outfit. It was in the early 1990's, and I recall wandering around & around the huge International Gem & Jewelry show in San Mateo, not finding anything of interest in the finished jewelry booths. I noticed tables with piles of beads, and was attracted to strands of round garnets that were the perfect color for my ensemble. And they were cheap - $2 a strand as I recall. So I bought a bunch, and headed over to a local bead shop for findings and instructions on using wire & crimps.

For 10 years I made lots of beaded necklaces from contemporary stone and glass beads for my own use, and a few gifts to friends and relatives.

Then I met Joyce at our local bead society "member sale"in the summer of 2001. She was wearing a luscious strand of antique Yemeni coral - and it was for sale. I didn't buy it right then, since it was about 50 times more than I'd ever spent on a strand of beads. I thought about it and called her back. We met outside the Ashby BART station a week or so later, where we furtively exchanged the baggie of coral for a wad of 20's - in a secluded spot so no one would see the amount of cash being handled. I'm sure it looked like a drug deal to anyone who glanced over at us!

A few years later I purchased my second "big" strand of collectible beads, ancient agates with a few bits of coral, at a trunk show given by Ebrahim Touray.

The two strands - coral and agates, are now intermingled on two necklaces that are my special reminders of "the early days".

PS the image of the little girl is from a postcard from 1908