From Ballet to Bangles

by Salima

Hello all,

My name is Salima and I would like to offer this brief biography to properly describe my background.

My interest in jewelry making has been on and off, for many years.

When I was a much younger girl living in Kyrgyzstan and traveling through the former Soviet Union with my parents, I used to make whimsical jewelry creations out of almost everything I could find. The colorful telephone cables wires where my favorite.

I would then pretend to sell my craft as a merchant of fine jewelry in my very own make-believe boutique.

Now in my "serious" adult life I still have the passion for jewelery making but my professional life has taken me elsewhere.

I graduated from the Ballet Academy at 18 years of age and have toured China, Central Asia and Europe as a professional dancer for more than 10 years.

All the while jewelry making has been a passionate hobby for me but I never considered it to be a serious vocation until recently.

Around the year 2009, a very good friend of mine encouraged me to revive my jewelry making skills with a bit more seriousness.

It was shortly thereafter that I was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer. I have since decided to fully embrace jewelry making as my lifestyle, my sole ambition and my occupation.

It was also after my diagnosis that I became interested in the many ancient beliefs surrounding the beneficial properties of crystals, semi precious and precious gem stones.

I am self taught and have learned quite a few things through my travels, independent studies, visiting museums and collecting volumes of well produced publications on the craft and history of the science of gemology and the art of jewelry making.

Most of my inspirations seem to be drawn from the macramé and knotting techniques that I have researched while living in the various provinces and among the many ancient minority cultures of Mainland China and Central Asia.

I sincerely hope you enjoy my creations.

Salima
Cartouche Jewelry
Cartouche on Artfire