MARIA BEAULIEU grew up in a small farming community in Maine. “I idolized my grandfather,” she says. “He was a watch smith who had a magical desk full of parts that I loved to sift through.” Maria was also amazed by the world of nature. Her early fondness for rocks and stones is apparent in her work today - her home stays filled with hundreds of them. Maria moved to New York in 1990 to study jewelry design. She was eventually hired by Ted Muehling, for whom she worked for 9 years. She credits him for her jewelry education and her approach to design. Maria’s jewelry is about simplicity and finding just the right balance between the delicate settings she makes and the beautiful stones they surround. “I want my work to be timeless, easy and elegant enough to wear during the day and out at night.”