Art work was always encouraged by my family, with outside classes and home projects with my mother. My life has been filled with art, from Chinese brush painting, watercolors, and beaded flowers to jewelry designing. I spent many of my working years as a travel agent. In the early 80s, with my family, I took a sabbatical and cruised aboard a sailboat for a number of years, ending up in Florida, where I still live. Although I’ve taken classes in both beading and metalsmithing, I’m mainly self taught.
While traveling throughout the world for both business and pleasure, my focus was always on the jewelry of the country visited . These experiences aroused my desire to produce exceptional pieces of my own.
In 2000, my sister, Karen, encouraged me to collaborate with her, and we started to create truly unique pieces of jewelry.
Each of my creations is a piece of sculpture. Instead of the traditional mediums of clay, metal, or stone, I use pearls, semi-precious stones, Swarovski crystals, glass beads, and other elements to create one-of-a-kind wearable sculpture in the form of distinctive jewelry, each a little world of beauty.
The color palate of a piece is where I begin the design process. Frequently, it is a significant central element that is the starting point in developing the palate; or, I’ll decide to use a specific color scheme and will find something in my studio that fits, but it’s always the colors that draw me in. I especially love the textures, shapes, and tints of freshwater pearls, which I incorporate into all my pieces, even if only as a signature element. My company’s name, Mermaid’s Jewelz, reflects this passion.
Although I create most of my pieces alone, many are a collaborative effort. Some have just the clasp which Karen has made, while others burst with the colors of her cloisonnes, the inspiration for that piece. These dynamic one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry explode in seas of textures and colors. Our joint work should be able to be appreciated for the entirety of its emotional quality and for each individual line. I hope to create a constantly shifting resonance with my audience, as each piece has its own energy.
My customers tell me, “My outfit accessorizes your jewelry.”
Current Galleries  Designer Crafts – 578 Main St: Stroudsburg, PA; 570-420-1228.APA Gallery – Broad St in Milford, PA; 570-296-7300.Museum of Contemporary Art – 125th St; North Miami, FLHelio Gallery – 814 Fleming St., Key West, FL 305-294-7901Past Exhibitions & Awards“Culture and Agriculture” at New Visions’ Gallery, May 3- July 10, 2004, Marshfield, WI“Body Jazz,” Gallery Show at Helio Gallery, March 19-26, 2004, Key West, FLWITVA Show, May 4-June 28, 2004, First Place for jewelry for “Cherry Roses”WITVA show, Jan 6-March 1, 2004 – Honorable Mention for jewelry for”Chinese Candy”Lapidary Journal Beads Arts Award 2003 – 2nd place for “Garden of Delights” broochLexington Art & Crafts Society“Variations in Enamel by 5 Artists” March 18-30, 2003 Opening Reception – March 16, 2003, 3PM 130 Waltham Street Lexington MA 02121 781-862-9696 Denise Bibro Fine Art, Inc.Dec 12, ’02 – Feb 1, ’03; Dec 9, ’03 – Jan 31, ’04 529 W. 20th St./4th Fl. New York, NY 10011 212-647-7030 Salon Des Refusesat Gallery 721 Nov 23 – Dec 18, 2002 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Enamel Guild/NE Conference 2002, 2001 and 2000 exhibition in the Newark Museum, Newark, NJ. Awarded three ribbons in the 2000 show: 2nd and 3rd place for wall pieces, 5th place for jewelryThe Enamelist Society Conference 2002 Instant GalleryPike County Arts and Crafts Expo, 2002, 2001, 2000Karen L. Cohen, Featured artist at The ARTery, September 2000, showing joint piecesAssociationsAmerican Craft Council, current membersIntracoastal Weavers, current memberPalm Beach Bead Society; current memberPublications“The Art of Fine Enameling” by Karen L. Cohen, published by Sterling/Chappelle, ISBN 0-8069-7869-4“Dragonfly” by Susan Jo Rochlin, Step by Step Beads, Summer 2003 |
| Contact Susan:Phone: 954-260-7237 Email: Susan@MermaidsJewelz.com |