Monica van der Mars Jewelry

Born in California and raised in the Netherlands, my father's native country, I have been creating art with paint, beads, fabric, and found objects since I was a child. My mother Gunda, born in Sweden, filled our home with sewing, knitting, and various creative projects. At age twelve, I sold my first pair of beaded earrings at a street market in Amsterdam. I've enjoyed creating and selling my work ever since.

I came to Montana in 1983, to join my older brother and eventually to earn a Fine Arts degree from The University of Montana. Currently, I live and work in Missoula with my husband Rob.

I enjoy providing my customers with beautiful objects that are also affordable. To that end, my handmade jewelry consists of stained and recycled glass pieces, combined with various glass, stone, and metal beads--some wrapped with copper foil and lead-free solder.
I have also added seed bead and resin work to my jewelry line.

"Great colors" is a compliment I often hear about my work. This pleases me because creating attractive color combinations with beads and glass is like painting to me. It's one of my favorite aspects of my jewelry business.

My jewelry is designed and hand-assembled in my Montana studio. I use stained and recycled glass, and beads made of glass, gemstone, resin, and metal. Some pieces combine glass with various handpainted or found papers. I solder the jewelry using a stained glass technique. The earwires and chains are sterling silver, gold/silver plate, surgical steel, and gunmetal.

Email: [email protected]
406-370-4973