In the Bible, Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for harm, to give you a future and a hope.” This magnificent promise saved me from ending my life in 1996.

After surviving my mother’s suicide when I was 3 and then growing up in an abusive home, I set out into the world broken and unprepared.

I was a workaholic and my insides were a tangled mess. I went on however, trying to please everyone and having a successful career as a marketing professional. But after 25 years, it left me feeling disconnected from people and lonely. I longed to work directly with my hands and would dream about making beautiful things, but never made time to make this a reality.

At 41, after years of depression and fear, something had to give. In a pivotal and profound moment, I chose life over death as I chose to put my life in the hands of Jesus, which for a Jewish-born athiest in God, was nothing but a miracle! My life was reborn, with the birth of my jewelry company SUZAN and with the mentoring I began through my business. Helping others who had been abused healed me. I realized that the craft I had learned from my father was the very gift that would save my life.

I share this with you because my jewelry design comes from deep within. I dream about designs, but the true design is born when I go right to work with the metal. All my pieces are made by hand using forging, twisting, fusing, and other ancient techniques. I like my jewelry to look worn, like it has been treasured and passed on through families and time. This concept gives me a history where mine was lost. I leave many of the natural markings that come from the jewelry processes because they give my pieces an old world look. It is a constant reminder to me that we all have scars and imperfections; they are the very things that give us character and make us special and unique.

Most importantly, creating and showing my jewelry connects me to women, young and old, and heals the hole left in my heart from losing my mother. I love knowing who wears my pieces; so many are one-of-a-kind. This connection to my work has given me the privilege to help women who have also been hurt in their lives.

My life now is so different, I feel like a new person with my sense of hope and purpose firmly embedded in my faith. I am blessed with twin girls, whom I had at 45, and am now raising as a single mom. I have my own studio, where customers and families shop and share their life stories. I continue to face life’s constant challenges head on by reaching out to others for help, which gives me courage. The acorn seeds that I used to collect as a young girl now mean something different to me and I hang on to this quote when my courage is weak.

"Because you have so little faith, I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, Move from here to there and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
Matthew 17:20

Many years of personal struggle and persistence have gone into my growth and I thank each person who enjoys and wears my jewelry.