Best of 2003: Best Jewelry Designer

Mary Hicklin, Virgo Moon
5519 Clairemont Mesa Boulevard #269, Clairemont
www.virgomoon.com
619-443-0518

With original pieces like "The Crack Between The Worlds" necklace, and "Jaguar Tassel," Hicklin turns beads, stones, and fossils into art, and each one is original. The designs, she says, often come from the "spirit" of the object or stone. On her website you can check out "Jasper Necklace with Lizard" ($1599) or "Spring Cartwheels in the Garden of the Heart" which features hand-blown glass beads by Heather Trimlett along with pearls, turquoise, opals, rose quartz, and aquamarine ($4217). Hicklin also makes pins and bracelets. Her work is sold in Palm Springs, Washington, D.C., and here, her hometown.