Talk about Art

Many little girls dream about weddings – their own, someday, but also just the magical beauty of it all. There's so much sparkle and gleam, the shimmering beauty of jewels and satin and lace. It's a world of princesses and fairy tales, but a world that is real as well.

"When I was a very young girl – five years old – my favorite thing I owned was a bride doll," says College Place jewelry artist Sharon Demaris.

"I loved her beautiful satin and lace dress with all of the sequins and pearls."

The hours of childhood play made a lifelong impact on the adult. To this day, Demaris gravitates toward the elegant, the enchanting, the lustrous and sparkling in her original jewelry designs.

A self-taught designer, Demaris originally approached jewelry making as a hobby, but quickly elevated it to a status of passion. Eventually, her designs became so intricate that she began entering them in the Fire Mountain Gems and Swarovski contests, a premier, international competition that attracts the best jewelry designers from around the world.

To date, she has won seven significant awards, including the Gold Medal for Accessories for "Crystal Falls" and Grand Prize Bronze for "Queen Anne's Lace." Her designs have been featured in two British jewelry magazines as well as on the back cover of Bead and Button Magazine.

"I have turned my spare bedroom into a design room, and that's where you will find me in my spare time-which is most of the time since I am retired," Demaris says. Working on several pieces at one time, she incorporates hundreds of beads into her larger pieces. Each one is different. Each one is unique. And each one is magical and shimmering, appealing to the little girl, the fairy princess, the bride, and the connoisseur of beauty.

Her work doesn't just sparkle: it speaks.

Through March 21, Wenaha Gallery (219 E. Main, Dayton) is featuring the necklaces and earrings of Sharon Demaris. The gallery is open Monday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.