Welcome to WilmaWear! I want to take this opportunity to thank you for visiting WilmaWear and I invite you to learn a little about my jewelry and me.

As a kid I always enjoyed working with my hands and collecting rocks. My parents are both handy folks who taught themselves to make everything from professional quality drapes to multi-hull sailboats, so it's not surprising that I felt free to experiment and pursue my curiosity. I channeled my creative energy into making miniature furniture, Indian villages in my backyard, singing harmony to local radio commercials and repairing my stuffed animals. My introduction to colored gemstones came early and primarily owing to my grandmother's affinity for fabulous big jewelry. Then there were school trips to the Smithsonian museums. Viewing their collection of rare gem specimens was always a highlight for me.

After high school, I went away to college and studied Chemistry and Psychology and later earned a graduate degree in Computer Science. Over the years I worked in medical research and the computer software industry. I was a research technician, programmer, managed IT staff and most recently coached software development teams. Along the way, I balanced my science-oriented day jobs with various creative pursuits. I learned to spin wool, weave rugs and baskets, make stained glass, work with wood and various techniques important for making silver jewelry.

Well enough about me...About the time I left the corporate world in 2002, my interest in producing jewelry gained my attention in a more serious way. Beginning with gifts for friends and family and a few commissions, I recognized that I loved the process of creating jewelry - from translating a fleeting inspiration to a hand drawing and then into its permanent silver "architecture." One day I was relating to a friend my reaction to seeing myself model a chunky gemstone necklace when we simultaneously blurted "WilmaWear." And thus my jewelry line had a name.

Many of my designs are explicitly representational of nature as seen in the Leaf and Ocean collections. Others are derived from patterns, textures and colors paired by nature. All are implemented with sterling, fine silver or 14 kt gold-filled components coordinated with natural garnets, citrine, amethyst, jade and opal as well as pearls, peridot, carnelian, amber, onyx, tourmaline...and the list goes on, each with a distinctive organic quality.

I've always been intrigued by how differently leaves have evolved from plant to plant. Usually overshadowed by a bush's colorful blossoms or the majesty of a tree's size, leaves aren't merely a background element. The WilmaWear Leaf collection brings them center stage. From Spring through the Fall, I harvest interesting leaves and render their beauty in permanent form in oxidized Art Silver Clay. Each leaf goes through a multi-step process and takes several elapsed days to complete. Because they start as individual leaves, no two are alike therefore no two pieces of jewelry are exactly the same. The style and design of the finished necklace, pin or earrings is dictated by the character of the focal leaf. Its shape, surface relief and the colors exposed during oxidation will suggest how it should be showcased. Look for aspen, maple, lilac, scrub oak, choke cherry and other leaves indigenous to Northern Utah .

I grew up on the East Coast and spent time sailing, scuba diving and roaming the beach collecting almost as many shells as rocks. Like leaves, the elegance and varied shape and texture of shells seem a natural choice in jewelry design. The WilmaWear Ocean Collection features scallop and clam shells recreated in Art Silver Clay used as pendants and charms in necklaces, bracelets and earrings. These natural elements are combined with gemstones and silver in patterns that evoke the many moods of the sea - calm and casual to dark and intense.

You might also be wondering about the WilmaWear symbol. In my search for a hallmark to become the signature of WilmaWear, I realized that I needed only to look at my sketch pad. There it was, the swirl-dot, a loose spiral punctuated with a dot -

I'd already hammered silver wire spirals into necklaces and earrings and carved them into Art Clay Silver pendants. Coincidentally, I was studying petroglyphs and was bumping into spiral forms that were common to ancient cultures around the world. I resonated with this very simple representation for water and other fundamental elements that sustain life. I knew that I had found the WilmaWear signature once I recognized the subtle adaptation I'd made to this ubiquitous symbol creating a brand of my own. Look for it on the WilmaWear hallmark tags and as a recurring theme in my work. It is the design for the pendant in the "Girl Friend" necklace series.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I'd be pleased if you found a piece from my collection that you'd like to add to your collection. Happy shopping!

Michal Patten