Marti Brown was always interested in the arts. Some of her fondest memories included art camp, painting in her basement, art classes in summer school, and involvement in choral music as a child. Marti became a professional artist and craftsman after completing her BFA in jewelry making. She has been designing jewelry for over 40 years. As much as she loves creating jewelry, she also greatly enjoys teaching. Marti has taught nationally and internationally. Marti works in niobium embellished frequently with beads. Niobium is a naturally occurring metal element. In its unanodized state niobium is naturally gray. Niobium is lighter and more comfortable to wear than sterling silver or gold pieces of the same size. Niobium does not react to acids or alkalines. This means that it is hypoallergenic when worn. Anodizing is an electrical process causing the formation of thin transparent oxides within the surface of niobium. Different voltage settings produces different colors. The colors are an effect of light refraction and not created by pigments. When light strikes the surface of the transparent oxide, some of the rays bounce off the oxide and some pass through to reflect off the base metal. The light rays blend with or cancel each other to determine the colors seen. A trip to Tucson for the gem shows reintroduced her to the joys of playing with beads. Marti is constantly looking for new sources of inspiration and has added beadweaving, Viking knit, polymer clay, felting and chainmaille to her techniques. You can find Marti at her studio The Dragon’s Odyssey Studio & School. She is a founding member of the Delaware Valley Bead Society encompassing Hunterdon County in New Jersey and Bucks County in Pennsylvania.