Karen Housley

As a child in Oregon, Karen developed an interest in rocks and jewelry primarily because her grandparents owned an agate shop. When visiting them she would spend part of her time assembling jewelry from their huge inventory of findings, cabochons, and beads. Throughout her life she has maintained this interest.

Karen moved to Alaska from Oregon after college and spent several years living on various remote islands in Southeast Alaska before moving on to Juneau in 1978.

During the next 19 years, she taught in Juneau schools, married and raised two daughters. In 1997 she took advantage of an early retirement incentive and the opportunity to pursue her interest in jewelry more seriously. She spent her first year of retirement learning some new skills and refining some old ones before starting her business.

I have decided for the moment to concentrate on work with wire and beads. The wrapped loop designs are attractive and durable, and there is no end to the varieties of beads available. I use either sterling silver or gold-filled, with gemstones, vintage & contemporary glass, Austrian crystal, and freshwater pearls.