Toni Ivey

Neptune's Arrow
Meet the Designer-Artist


Where do you live?
Sandy Hook, CT, USA

What inspires you as a designer-artist?
I am inspired by all the living things around me, the organic curves, the spectrum of colors and all the grand diversity of life on Earth.

What medium do you work with mostly?
My designs at this time combine naturally surf-polished shell fragments, soutache embroidery and beading, in a sequence that I devised. I have not encountered anyone else using this particular technique.

Why did you become enchanted with this style of jewelry-making?
Each piece can be designed and planned, or, as I prefer, the piece is allowed to evolve as the assembly unfolds. Each piece is as original and one-of-a-kind as each piece of shell that I select on the beach.

What is the name of the piece you submitted with your success story?
Neptune's Arrow

What inspired this design?
The design was inspired by the spear-point shape of the shell fragment.

How did it come together?
I picked up the color of the brown-flecked shell in some of the soutache embroidery. I used green stone beads and green soutache to signify the sea and the white soutache represents the sandy shore. The design presented itself as the process progressed.