In 1991, while a goldsmith for The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, we were encouraged to use the Met galleries for visual breaks. Our eyes were focused on tiny things for hours straight, and by doing the opposite — viewing large paintings within large galleries — it would open and widen the eyes again.

Early days of love and work. Sean and me. 1990s. He’s wearing one of my first fine silver woven chains. We are standing in a display he created for one of my craft shows in NYC.

“The Love that moves the sun and other stars,” (the Love ring) is my singular ring that travelled to be featured in prominent exhibitions including The Forbes Galleries (2013), the Carnegie Museum of Natural History (2015-16), the Tellus Science Museum (2020), and is now back home at the atelier.

Every day of my life has been a blessing. Important to express that when writing about a garland of medals that’ve been with me throughout most of my life. About 10 years ago, I started to assemble what was an accumulation of souvenirs, confirmation gifts, and other religious medals that I saved in a cigar box since I was a child.

From 2001 to 2008 my atelier was located in far west Chelsea at 547 West 27th Street between 10th and 11th Avenues. It was my first public space for DDL. Before that I was working from the basement of an Italian restaurant on West 23rd Street (more on that in another post).

Made of 22-karat yellow gold and glistening with Colombian emeralds this pendant is a reproduction of the cross that sits atop 17th-century masterpiece, The Crown of the Andes, aka The Crown of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In dedication to Jean Stark.

In the late 80’s, I picked up The Divine Comedy, and I fell in deep. Suffice it to say, I awoke to find myself in a bright wood.