The Creative Artistry of Alina's work is derived from her belief that jewelry serves as an adornment of beauty, improving self-esteem of the wearer. With a Bachelors and Masters degree in human anatomy, biomechanics and physiology, Alina has worked as a Physical Therapist for over 30 years. She began making jewelry about 11 years ago, starting as a hobby and developing into a fulltime career. "Jewelry making is about connections, it is a mechanical event. One needs to know and understand all the properties of the components." Alina loves working with pearls, observing their color, luster, orient, shape, nacre, and she utilizes their complementary relationship with other stones. She also specializes in turquoise, particularly North American turquoise and rare turquoise. She creates and makes all her own sterling findings, does silver-smith work and fires her own fine silver. She uses gold and fine settings for her top end, one-of-a-kind pieces. Her creations are all original and she participates in fine Art and Craft fairs throughout America and in Australia. Most recently she was awarded first place and the juried Crested Butte Fine Art and Craft Festival in Colorado (August, 2006). Her work continues to grow as she develops her high karat gold line (18-22K) with designs that are truly unique and suited to the discerning individual.