I love the natural beauty of gemstones.  The more natural the beauty, the better.  My favorites are in the blue and green arena which is why you see alot of amazonite, green aventurine, apatite, chrysoprase, malachite, and iolite.  I love them all. 

The other part of my inspiration comes from my ongoing studies of the human energy system and energetic healing, especifically Reiki.  Reiki means "universal life energy" and it is simply the pure life force that flows through evry living thing.  Call it prana, chi, spirit, whichever you prefer, it's all the same.  Every living thing contains this energy.  Reiki is the practice of balancing this energy.  We tend to muck up our energy. We can't help it, we're human and we live stressful lives.  The Reiki practitioner basically channels the "pure" life force energy through them to the receiver, and helps balance out the energy or wipe the slate clean.  This can all be done hands on or hands off. The effects are amazing.  Reiki goes where it is needed as it is intelligent energy. That's why if there is a specific ailment, the Reiki will flow there first, because that is where the greatest imbalance is.  I don't always understand it, I just know what people tell me.  Almost always, they feel better.

I have trained with my Reiki Master, and I am now a Reiki Master myself.  But, I am also a jewelry designer.  I thought for some time that I had to be one or the other.  But Reiki has taught me that I can do both.

Reiki flows to anything with energy.  People, your pets, plants, and even the Earth.  Gemstones have long been known to carry their own healing energy, and have been used for centuries by healers.  Reiki helps gemstones in many ways. Gemstones are handled by many hands before they reach mine, and Reiki helps to "clear" the energies attached to them, or in other words, it helps to cleanse the stones of any negative energy which may be attached to the stones through contact.  Then as the Reiki flows through the cleared stones, it helps to "amp up" the natural energetic qualities of the stones.  The neat thing about gemstones is that they hold energy much better than humans. 

I really enjoy working one on one with clients to help design jewelry that truly reflects their style, and their needs.  When I know who exactly is going to be wearing the jewelry, it just flows from me at such a rapid pace. The design usually turns out better than I could have imagined, so I really believe that I am merely "the hands" that put together the designs, and it is Divine wisdom that decides what the client needs. 

I have lately found that I believe this works even when I don't know who will be wearing a specific piece.  Especially when I sell at shows, I see time and time again people drawn very specifically to a piece and they literally cannot put it down.  Or, if they do put it down, they return to the same piece.  They feel good when they are in close contact with the appropriate stones.  In this way, I believe that ALL the designs are custom designs, I just haven't met the client yet!  I am really pleased with this because I know that eventually every design will find it's rightful owner...it knows who it is looking for. 

I should also mention that I have been heavily influenced by my yoga practice and yogic philosophies.  I began practicing almost 5 years ago, and it literally transformed my life!  The practice is what led me to explore energy and the chakra system.  I could never have imagined the tremendous impact yoga has had on my life...I am a much happier, healthier person!   

It is my hope that I can do two things with my jewelry. One, I hope to make beautiful jewelry that makes the wearer feel special when they wear it.  Secondly, I hope to have a positive healing effect on those for whom I make jewelry.  I will not ever be able to meet every person who wears my jewelry, but it is my hope that it helps them in whatever way they need.  

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit my site, and to listen to my story!  I love sharing my passion for jewelry and energetic healing!

Love and Light!
Dana Phillips