Contestant's Case to Win

At a young age I remember being fascinated with rocks, gems and crystals and was always on the hunt for a beautiful rock. We were regular vacationers down in Cape May Point, NJ and my sisters and I would spend countless hours combing the beaches for beautiful stones, Cape May Diamonds and tumbled glass. My father taught us a lot about the different kinds of rocks, minerals, gems and crystals and introduced my sisters and I to jewelry and jewelry making. He gave us a ton of knowledge and I do have to say it makes birthdays and holidays a little tough for our husbands since we know so much!
As time went by and I grew up, the rock hound in me was pushed aside until my little sister inspired me once again to start creating beaded jewelry. All of a sudden a renewed interest in rocks, gems, crystals and jewelry making was bursting at the seams for me and I needed to form some kind of creative outlet. I started off slowly as a hobby, but as the hobby grew and people started to take an interest, I decided to launch Vael Designs in 2006 to showcase my designs.
I like to think of the business as having a little something for everyone as I have various different lines of jewelry. One of the lines called the Cape May Jewelry line shows off wire-wrapping techniques with beautiful stones, tumbled glass, shells and Cape May Diamonds that were hand picked off the beaches by my daughter, my husband and I. The stones were then tumbled by me to bring out their inner beauty, just as if you plucked them right out of the water. This line of jewelry brings back those memories of my sisters, my father and I searching for that perfect stone or that beautifully tumbled piece of blue sea glass!
Another line that I started was my Awareness line. I started this line to honor my mother who is now a Breast Cancer Survivor. I started out with a single breast cancer awareness bracelet and over time I added an awareness bracelet on request by a customer and the line continues to grow even today. Each new awareness bracelet was added by request and has a story behind it of someone struggling through the battle of cancer, a story of survival or a fond memory of someone who lost their battle and this was a way for the person to remember and honor that person’s life. I am very proud to donate a portion of the proceeds I make from each bracelet to go towards Cancer Research and to support the fight against cancer.
In 2008 I added a new line called the Support Our Troops line which also was very personal to me. My husband deployed with the Army to Iraq for 13 months and I discovered firsthand the issues and sacrifice the soldiers and their families make to support this great country and I am trying to help the cause, little by little.
Many of the other items on my site are custom designs that come from my heart and mostly one of kind creations. My inspiration comes from my life experiences with a little touch of my 3 year old daughter trying to help rearrange my work, and surprisingly enough – sometime it works! In 2009 I am striving to expand my business and reach to new boundaries and stretch my creative talents to come up with new designs that will give someone a wonderful memory to cherish.