In the Beginning:

Out of sheer frustration and determination I set out to remedy one of my problems.  Organizing, protecting and finding all my earrings,  I am a serious collector.  As I have always said "Jewelry is a hobby that lasts a lifetime."

I was pleased with my efforts.  An attractive, versatile and portable jewelry stand.  

Being a braggart... I showed it off to all my friends at my birthday party.  To my surprise, they liked it so much they put in orders for themselves and as presents for wives relatives and friends.  They even offered to pay! Wow!

With a helping hand from my husband and a little fine tuning, we were in business.  We took our show on the road: craft shows, festivals, stores...hey if our friends would pay...

The Evolution:

The jewelry stand became known as Squirrel-Eze™ , "A Nutty Idea That Works" ( www.squirreleze.com ).  Now women can squirrel away their jewelry with ease.

We put some of my personal jewelry on the Squirrel-Eze™ jewelry stands for display purposes only. A great marketing ploy...or so I thought.  Much to my horror a woman started yelling at me because I would not sell her my personal earrings.  Oops!  We knew something had to be done!

The New Dawn:

So we took beading classes at Stone Works in Dunstable, MA and started making jewelry.

The Squirrel-Eze did so well we applied for and received a patent...that's another story!  Any how we continued making jewelry to cover the stands...Lo and behold the jewelry started to sell...which is much more pleasant than being yelled at! So off we went in search of knowledge...

We took silver smithing classes at the Worcester Center of Crafts (the oldest school of it's kind in America).  The New Hampshire Jewelry Institute, and classes in Arizona on wire wrapping, stained glass and PMC.  We are members of the PMC Guild and plan to become certified to teach.  We are also book reviewers for the "New England Craft Digest".   All this because I couldn't find a pair of earrings!

The Metamorphosis:

Now before all this we were normal people with normal jobs, benefits and all that goes with main stream America.  Well we found we were having a lot of fun "part time" with Squirrel-Eze ™, our patented portable jewelry stands.  I now realized that in solving my own jewelry problems I had solved a universal one as well.  We have sold Squirrel-Eze in 38 states and counting as well as half a dozen other countries - Oh My!

The Emergence:

We started doing more shows, from small church/town affairs to the Boston Bayside Expo and the International Gem and Jewelry Show in Tucson Arizona (the largest jewelry show in the world). We also do private and corporate shows.

We are now full time jewelers with differing, yet complimentary styles.

As a professional horseman for over 20 years as well as a yoga instructor, I  bring my love of nature and simplicity to the table. My jewelry makes a statement not an impact, enhancing the woman who wears it rather than distracting from her.

My husband is an avid outdoorsman who hiked the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. He also likes to “play" with power tools and torches. His designs capture his bold and dynamic style.

The Arrival:

When as established jewelers with a following, it became evident we should be signing our pieces.  I did not have to think long to know what I wanted, I  still love horses and have a lifetime of warm memories.  Professionally as a horseman I was known as "Hay" my pre-nuptial initials...and "hay is for horses"...well you get the idea....

So on a coffee stained napkin in a dusty diner in Arizona we worked on the graphics till we got it right.  Thus Hay became .  Then we started working on my husbands initials JAB which became   .

We now call the design and silver smithing part of our company "Designs by and "

The Horizon:

What does the future hold?  We don't have a clue - a couple of nutty ideas maybe - but what we do know is that we love working with silver and the beautiful gem stones from which our inspiration comes.

We tend to think of our creations as "our children" and we want them to go to a good home - that is why we are proud to put our name on them!