About me
                                         
                                                My love for jewelry started at a young age.  When I was a little girl I always               
                                                admired my Mothers jewelry.  She had very simple yet elegant pieces that she          
                                                always wore with pride.  I used to love going to the jewelry store with my Dad to       
                                                pick out a gift for her and I dreamed of one day having some of her jewelry passed    
                                                down to me.  Now that I am older and married, I have my own collection of special    
                                                pieces thanks to my husband and I have learned a great deal about fine jewelry         
                                                over the years.          

                                                About 6 years ago I was looking for something new to do craft-wise.  I have               
                                                always loved photography but I was looking for something different.  A friend of        
                                                mine had visited a local bead shop and told me about it.  The next weekend I went    
                                                with her to see what she was so excited about.  It was amazing to discover this           
                                                whole new world of beautiful beads.  It was overwhelming to see some many
beautiful beads, with so many amazing colors, shapes and sizes.  Where do I even begin?  How do I pick
something out from so many choices??  I decided to start by picking out textures, colors and shapes that
appealed to me and I went from there.

I bought a few books on jewelry making and beading, used my color books from past art classes, took a few
classes in bead shops, and began to design things for myself and wearing them regularly to make sure that I
was making not only beautiful pieces, but durable as well.  Eventually people started noticing the jewelry I was
wearing and they would ask me where I bought it.  I told them that it was handmade by me and I started to
pass out my card to anyone who inquired about the jewelry I was wearing.  As my confidence grew I took
another step forward and I started showing my jewelry to people that worked in the businesses that were by
my office, and to clients of the company I worked for.  I sold a few more pieces and people started contacting
me to inquire about my jewelry and custom work.

Now, a few years later, I have two consignments located in CA and I am in the process of getting two more in
PA, some time this summer.  I am excited to see what the coming months bring to mmillsdesigns!  If you want
to see where my jewelry is currently on display, please go to the Locations page.    

I use high quality materials to make my creations such as Swarvoski Crystals, Pearls, Glass Beads, Natural
Stones, Semiprecious Gemstones, Sterling Silver, Glass Lampwork, Millefiori Glass and Glass Seed Beads.  
Because all of the beaded jewelry at mmillsdesigns is individually handmade, you are guaranteed a one of a
kind, unique work of art, personally designed and crafted by me.

I hope you enjoy my jewelry as much as I've enjoyed designing and creating it!   
                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                       Mary Mills, Owner & Senior Designer
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