About me
Collections of jewelry and writings inspired by naturally occurring patterns and colors as well as by colorful people that are mostly made on the road. Like many of my millennial comrades, I spend a lot of time in transit and little fretting over what’s next. “Bird island” is a translation of my last name – Fuglei – from a linguistic ancestor of modern Icelandic that was spoken by Vikings. I feel it resonates.
Originally from the mountain town of Missoula, Montana, studies and curiosity led me to live and work in Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq for the past few years. I started making jewelry (and other art) out of sticks, stones, and bones found in the rich wadis (canyons) of Jordan. Now, on the road again – this time on a journey through the opulence of American national parks – I continue to look to nature for inspiration for this hobby.
I try to use things I find as the centerpieces in my work. This currently ranges from coral from the Kuta beach in Indonesia to unknown purple stones from Iran purchased in a Kurdish bazar to turquoise from a Sri Lankan beach town to simple, grounding Montana quartz. I’m not committed to symmetry. Most pieces are made from pounded metal (bronze, silver, gold) and unpolished rocks.
In my experience, the people, places and things you need tend to find you. When you’re looking, they are elusive. Formative stories as well as you favorite pieces of jewelry, and their materials, are the same.
About the jewelry
All jewelry is hand made and one of a kind. They come with a “lifetime warranty”: if it breaks, or you’re not happy with it for any reason, email me explaining the problem, send it back to me, and I will either fix it or create something you’ll love even more! This is strictly a hobby for me – something I do because I enjoy it – and the money is secondary. Feel free to contact me if you find something you really like, but it’s out of your price range.