Three years ago, our oldest daughter, who was 15 at the time, came to us and shared her dream of becoming an astronaut. In her research, she discovered that nearly all astronauts first become pilots. For her 16th birthday, we gifted her an exploratory flight to see if flying was even something she would enjoy. In short—she absolutely loved it.

Not long after, she began talking seriously with us about pursuing her pilot’s license. However, the cost of flight training was far beyond what we could afford. That’s when I offered her a place on my website with two simple rules: she had to create the jewelry herself, and she had to use my hand-painted wood beads.

What came next was nothing short of amazing.

Ariana took great care as she began designing. She wanted to offer something very different from what I was already creating. She asked me to paint the smallest wood beads I could find—4mm, smaller than a BB! Like me, she loves an elevated look, so she paired my painted wood beads with glass tube beads and Japanese glass Miyuki beads. The result was the perfect balance of detail and delicacy, creating truly beautiful necklaces. Ariana set out to design something petite, romantic, and flawless—and she absolutely nailed it.

When you purchase anything from the Ari Collection, 100% of your purchase goes directly to Ariana for her flight training. John and I supply all of her materials, cover shipping, and pay her sales tax—this is our contribution to her dream.

As you consider purchasing a piece for yourself or for a young lady in your life, know that you are directly impacting Ariana’s journey. As of today, she is in the middle of logging her solo flight hours and completing her flight requirements in preparation for her check ride and final written exam.

Thank you for being a part of her story and helping her wings take flight.

SHOP aRI NECKLACE