Born in Croatia 47 Years ago.In the first 30 years of my life I was fortunate enough to be  given many opportunities to enjoy the countless  layers of both European and African Cultures and the indescribable beauty of the World   itself that I saw through my eyes,tasted and felt  with my senses.

I spent many of those years in Italy.It has been the Love of My Life in a poetically deep  sense and will be till time stands still.The endless   array of what I lived, heard, learned and  simply watched with a calm like none,observing, drinking in, being extraordinarily greatful for the Beauty this world has to offer us.
I adored the Old World and the  places I loved most rare few bothered to see.
My family life was complex....what little  I will share of this is what is most important to my soul.
The grounding,love and life of a Much  loved Grandmother who was the only member  from  either side of my family who lived the proudest,humblest,diva,intellectual life...I must say, coming up with ways to color her is tantamount to learning how to to fly from a bird in 10     minutes  or less.
The rest were a blurr of a stack of dusty gold bricks.....not even conforting for  sitting  a   minute in deafening silence .
My love for rocks came at a very  young age.When I adored walking the  old cobblestone and  slabbed streets of Italy and Croatia.I loved them,I  loved the architecture that   surrounded  them.I  loved the sleek, shinyness to the aged    stones.I thought about all  the people that came and went.That lived and  died.
I lived in the sea during the summers,how I loved the  sea,the colors,the diving,the boats,the   old  fisherman.........sigh
Then I  saw  Venice....and unlike my Mother and best   friend  Cathy who came with us that trip ,while they did the gondola thing and St marks etc...
I at 16 became a lover of tiny  churches,I was an   athiest at the time,but that  is irrelavent.I cannot
describe what hit me first,drew me second and eventually brought me to my  own  world of mazes.Church after  little church,bridge after  bridge, tiny  streets between   houses barely wide  enough for  two to    pass    one another.I was in heaven.As I  felt the people  were   as   well, without realizing    it.
If you watched  them you could  see  it.They did not go through   their days as we    know  days to go.They sang   through  them,  smiling...completely unaware of the Heaven surrounding  them...how could they know, if that is what was day to day normality to them.
I could write till the end of my  time and never  express every feeling I felt and share every moment that moved me,evolved me, made me.

Life went on.Very differently  from that which I write about.
I lived in  New Jersey, married a   man  Mom was certain to hate, had three children I adore more than my  life.
All  those other things are gone now.The beauty of memories   stay and I will go back to Europe for  certain, (I am a  bit of a  stubborn and   pigheaded nonsensical child.....but I    like   it).
I now have some things called physical    illnesses and some psychological....(who doesn't).
I am happy.I am a very fortunate woman,with three children , 4 granchildren. I live on Long Island with my  two  youngest. My Daugther 11 Son 19 and Jo 43 .Jo is everything to me that I lost,my Grandmothers..and other things  to.many things.I am loved and I love,I love the best way I know how and it's real,it's what makes me feel  good  inside myself, right about myself.
.I have no hate and I love life and am  greatful for everything I ever lived, had, lost and gained.
I lost everything   financially, out of  choice and a  darn  good  one ...on more than one occasion, because guess what? in the end I got to keep my soul and the Ramen Noodles    as    well, who could ask for anything more? 
I cannot for physical and post traumatic syndrome  reasons work outside the home but I was desperate to do   something with meaning.
I fell  upon  e-bay somehow..and  truthfully I gain more joy from a warm note of thanks or satisfaction with a thing I have  created  then when I  see a few dollars come my way.
The problem is ,  money is needed, I am just not a sales oriented person. My pleasure comes  from seeing happiness  spread, touching other souls, making a   difference even if slight, and the evolution of creating a piece of gemstone jewelry. It has been a long journey,starting with selling video games, jewelry others created and then it hit me.I was longing for something and I knew it was related to e-bay but with multi dimentional meaning.
I am an artisit.although I have not painted or sculpted in decades.I composed music, played guitar and wrote song and verse.
Then things changed, it was no longer Vera and her desires to create and learn and see all.Now it was my family, my prime devotion.
I knew in time, with patience I would find a path that would put me in a place where I can be all things I need to feel fullfilled and enjoy all things that bring me joy and satisfaction.
Now that I am able to create the jewelry from my passions, ideas,whims...I have found personal  fullfillment, in the joy of creation and the happiness to have them adorn and be treasured by another.It is a sort of connection,a sharing.
 
I want to thank  everyone who has visited my auctions  and store, I  truly appreciate  it.
If anyone would care to write  to me or perhaps share   suggestions.we  are   human...we   should share    our   thoughts,feelings, and simply give emotionally or of experiences ...if  only the world was more this way...how much   easier it would be.
I hope You come  away with my words with a  smile,hope or joy...nothing negative.
We all have   something to celebrate, I will start by celebrating the person that reads my  words and learned a bit about my  truth.
The Best   of All I   wish to You Always.
Vera 
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I saw the stone and held it in my hand, such beauty,endless centuries of history, and not a single one alike.
Gemstones of the earth as people, none the same and all significant in the  evolution of the earth and it's inhabitants.
V.Novosel 1-17-2008