I’ve been making jewelry for as long as I can remember.

When my children were growing up, I have wonderful memories of going out to the beach to collect shells. We would spend summer evenings stringing the shells into bracelets and necklaces with leather. What began as a personal outlet, quickly morphed into something larger. To my amazement, people were actually taking notice to my hobby. I began swapping out leather with gold and silver and boom: Pame was born.

Pame started to first receive attention when Giuliana Rancic wore some of my pieces on E! News. This led to a feature in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. Since then, stars such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Chrissy Teigen, Elle Macpherson, Lady Antebellum, Brooklyn Decker and more have been spotted wearing Pame.

But rather than designing with celebrities in mind, much of the inspiration behind the designs come from my customers. The typical “Pame girl” likes to be different.  She tends to be athletic, while still intuned with her femininity. Above all, having a unique look is a must. She is always looking to have something that nobody else has and is drawn to layering high-end and everyday, casual pieces. I like to think of my customers as rad girls wearing rad jewelry.

Through my travels, I have continued to seek inspiration from people and places around the world. It’s cool, laid-back nature of surf-communities around the world that I’m drawn to. Rugged yet refined, I will design an entire collection based on a place I love. For example, I am inexplicably moved by Fiji, particularly the beautiful island of Tavarua. Much of my color palette this past year reflects the gorgeous white hue of the Fijian sands.

But above all, I design to evoke a feeling. It’s a mixture of feeling cool while looking pretty; embracing a tomboy attitude while still incorporating a sense of femininity. I get so much joy watching people’s expressions as they try on the perfect piece. Their face lights up and they instantly exude an air of confidence.  It is exactly this emotional reaction that I want to awaken for as long as I can.

Ultimately, I want people to realize that it’s not about the price, it’s about how that piece of jewelry can make you feel. When you feel good about yourself it’s priceless. If a piece of jewelry can evoke that type of emotion in someone, my aspirations as a jewelry designer have been fulfilled.