About Us

Maureen O’Keefe is a jewelry artist, world traveler, and lifelong collector whose one-of-a-kind creations are inspired by a passion for history, culture, and the beauty of handcrafted adornment. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, she developed an early fascination with treasures from the earth—collecting rocks, shells, and admiring her mother’s striking Navajo squash blossom necklace of silver and turquoise. That fascination eventually evolved into a deep appreciation for beads, gemstones, and jewelry traditions from around the world.

For more than two decades, Maureen traveled extensively with her Foreign Service husband, living and exploring throughout the Middle East, South America, Asia, and Africa. Along the way, she wandered bustling souks in Oman, bartered with bead traders in Ghana, searched for amber, lapis, turquoise, and coral, and collected antique jewelry and rare beads with stories spanning centuries and continents. Her journeys led her to discover antique Bedouin silver, African trade beads, Venetian glass beads, Peruvian hand-cut stones, and countless other materials that continue to inspire her work.

Since beginning her jewelry design journey in Peru in 1995, Maureen has created distinctive wearable art that blends contemporary design with ancient traditions. She works primarily with antique handmade glass beads, vintage trade beads, and hand-cut semi-precious stones crafted by artisans throughout the developing world. Drawing on a rich global “vocabulary” of colors, textures, and forms, she combines Western and Eastern influences into pieces that are both timeless and deeply personal.

Every necklace, bracelet, and pair of earrings Maureen creates is entirely unique—she never repeats a design. Often inspired by a single bead, color, or shape, each piece reflects a journey through history, travel, and culture. Through her jewelry, Maureen invites others to experience the stories embedded within every bead and stone, creating adornments that are not simply accessories, but meaningful works of wearable art.