Welcome to JewelMania, a jewelry artist’s unique view of the world and its art.

This blog chronicles the life and times of a young-at-heart, not so retired world traveler who can always find just one more adventure to fill her never boring, always hectic days. If that’s not enough, I’ll show you the fantastic jewelry I’ve seen, found, bought and created. Don’t go away! There’s always another day, another adventure, and another jewelry find to capture your imagination.

Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Cheryl Cholley, and I can’t tell you everything I’ve done and seen in a little over 50 years. Together with my husband, Tom, I’ve explored the beauties of America and the far reaches of Asia, with dozens of stops in between.

During our travels, we invariably discover fantastic jewelry artists and their work. We have seen the Pearl Market in Beijing, the fabulous jewelry markets in Jaipur, India, and visited a cloisonne' factory in Malaysia. While walking by the canals of Venice, I happened upon a shop that carried fascinating glass beads. And of course I just had to have some! While in Melbourne, Australia, we walked the aisles of the Queen’s Market, and found the perfect opal for my collection. Just wait until Tom tells you the story of how he got his Aussie hat with the crocodile teeth!

Here, in the months to come, I’ll share with you our sojourns to Morocco and how I held deadly poisonous serpents. You’ll see photos of the huge vats the Moroccans use to dye their supple leathers, and I’ll give you a birds-eye view of the casbah and it’s fascinating wares. One day, I’ll show you the fantastic sights we encountered on our way to visit the miraculous Taj Mahal. Rug merchants, and their rituals are a favorite of Tom and myself as well. I’ll give you a peek into the way these artists display and sell their wares.

Ask me about New Zealand, and I’ll show you the panoramic beauty of a tiny country with more sheep than people. I’ve tasted fine wines there, and stood on the exact spot where “The Lord of the Rings” was filmed.

Get me talking about Italy and you’ll hear not only stories of Rome, Venice, Florence and Pisa, but of the interesting and oh-so-beautiful Italian Alps.

The world is only as big as you let it be, and it’s definitely as beautiful and interesting as you’ve imagined. Around each bend in the road is another artist with a story to tell and wares to peruse. Ambulate slowly through life and be sure to stop and smell the roses. Here’s my view of the world and I’m ready to show it to you.

Welcome to JewelMania, a jewelry artist’s unique view of the world and its art.