Artisan Crafted Art Glass Beads -- I prefer not to use beads that are mass-produced.  Each bead that I use has been handcrafted by a bead artist.  I carefully select the beads that I purchase for beauty, color, quality and original design. 

Semi-Precious Stones -- I buy the very best quality stones that I can find and afford for my designs. In almost all cases, these are at least "A" grade stones. While I do use many of the "standards" in my work (like amethyst, garnet, peridot, turquoise . . .), I really enjoy searching out the more unique gemstones.  You will often find stones used in my designs that are you don't see every day.  Except for certain special cases (for example, dyed purple turquoise), I prefer not to use stones that have been artificially colored with dyes (those dyes will sometimes come off if cheaply manufactured).  Also, I will not use reconstituted stones.  You can trust that I only use stones that I hand-pick for quality and/or uniqueness.

Silver -- I use sterling silver (92.5% or higher silver content) or Argentium Silver (92.5% sterling silver with Germanium, which makes it virtually tarnish-free).  I never use cheap silver-plated components.

Gold-Filled -- Because 14K gold (or higher) is quite expensive, I use gold-filled components in my designs instead. By law, to be called "gold filled", it has to have a 1/20th (by weight) layer of 14 karat gold permanently bonded over the core of base metal. It has 100+ more times more gold than the scant coating of gold found in gold plate items.  Under normal wear, and with reasonable care, gold-filled jewelry will not peel or flake and can be treasured as heirloom pieces. It is tarnish-resistant like solid 14 karat gold.

Vermeil -- Another option I use instead of gold is vermeil (pronounced vur-MAY).  Vermeil has a sterling silver base that has been bonded with a layer of gold (minimum 10K and 1.5 microns thick).  Generally, all the vermeil components that I use are bonded with 14K gold.  Vermeil will often darken with age, giving a piece an antique look.

Swarovski Crystals -- These Austrian crystals are the top of the line as far as crystals go -- unmatched for clarity, sparkle and quality. They have a 30%+ lead content, which increases the lovely light refraction and gives the crystals more weight than similarly sized glass crystals.

Czech Crystals -- Generally, these crystals are fire-polished, lending a softer edge to the facets, which I prefer in certain designs. These don't have quite the brilliance of the Swarovski crystals, but are much higher quality than crystals/glass beads produced in China or India.

Freshwater Pearls -- Pearls are graded for their luster and their lack of surface blemishes.  Naturally occurring in shades of cream and peach, most white pearls have been bleached.  All the beautiful colors of pearls that you see out there are the result of dye. I use only "A" grade or higher white/natural pearls in my designs and as for the colored pearls, I make sure that they are the highest quality dyed pearls available.