Beads of Life

Written By: Donna Rhodes | Issue: March 2025

How many of us knew exactly what we wanted to do in life at the age of four?

Jewelry maker Shannon Noelke did. Those four fingers that represented her tender age (plus her other talented six) were stringing beads like a pro, creating designs by color, shape, form, texture, and overall aesthetic.

No doubt in her mind – she was destined to be a fine craftsperson.

And just like sliding beads upon a strand, she continues creating and adding gems to her life’s necklace: a marriage, a business, a hand-crafted home, a studio (Coyote Valley Art Farm), a daughter, a career. Along the way, she transitioned from beading to advanced silversmithing.

And now she can honestly say, “I found my niche and I’m making it all happen.”

Mother Earth’s natural materials are Shannon’s stock in trade: stones, semi-precious gems, metals, and whatever winds, wanders, repurposes, or inspires. The land, and what surrounds her in Otto, is her personal treasure supply.

Same goes for her husband, Robert, a superb blacksmith, and exceptional carpenter.

Shannon supplements family income in the world of dining. She actually loves it, meeting people, making them happy with food and her hand-crafted wearables (she’s a walking jewelry display). Visit her website, shannonnoelkemetalarts.com

When you see, feel, and wear Shannon’s extensions of Mother Nature, there’s an intuitive connection to her style – an organic and fluid form, blending into Nature’s version of Art Nouveau. Experience the masculine stone and metal, the feminine curve and color, the sacred of the ancient and primal. All these elements weave in and out our own souls, renewing the sacred within.

Imagine having one of her pieces, a talisman, if you will, filled with your energy that you pass down to your offspring’s generations in decades to come.

Speaking of gens (and gems), her daughter, Stella, is pursuing painting. There are plenty of images to feature with family dogs, cats, chickens, and rabbits. Coyotes keep their distance, though their voices are often sweet night music.

Visit Shannon’s work at shannonnoelkemetalarts.com. Contact her about upcoming classes. Ask about commissions and custom work. Check out features in magazines, and/or seasonal showings through her website. You can email her at shannonnoelkemetalarts@gmail.com.