For self-taught jewelry artist Lucia Antonelli, creativity is a boundless expression of one’s inner life. After graduating from the Fashion Institute of Technology in 1967, with a degree in Apparel Design, she experimented with newspaper illustration, leather handbag design, stained glass, weaving, and clay.

The artist became interested in beads working in a bead store, and came across an antique French beaded purse that was in disrepair. Antonelli took it apart and the obsession with detail was fueled and the artist has continued to create neck pieces with as much detail as possible.