Photos of Miriam by Yerucham Ben Reuven-Syma

Miriam Bat-Rachel is the name I chose to honor my beloved mother Ray (Mrs. Larry) Gold, a talented artist and devoted mother, who passed away in September 2002. I took my mother's Hebrew name (Rachel), joined it with my own (Miriam), and then added the Hebrew term Bat, meaning "daughter of"...and Miriam Bat-Rachel was born.

Mom had a great sense of color and design that she expressed in many works of art. In addition to needlepoint, she worked with an ancient technique called paper tole. Mom's paper sculptures of people and animals were thoughtfully framed and sold in a local shop near my father's shoe store, with others given lovingly to family and friends. As Mom grew older, she stopped working with paper sculpture because her arthritic hands could not manage the delicate maneuvers of the tiny scissors and other materials...nor could she withstand the fumes of the glue that would hold the sculptures together.

My father also had an artistic eye that he expressed in beautiful photography. His photos of animals taken at the Bronx and Phoenix Zoos were among his favorites - next to the photos he took of his children and grandchildren. Especially for "Pop," I take all the product photos for the Moonbeams website, as well as for all the Moonbeams advertising materials.

In memory of my mother - and my dad, who passed away in September 2000 - I opened the online portal to Moonbeams, Lilacs & Roses in fall of 2003, where I sell my handcrafted beaded pens, pewter bookmarks accented with beads, and gold and silver plated letter openers and magnifying glasses. As my business and vision grew, so did my offerings. Moonbeams also includes a unique line of handcrafted Jewelry. Each piece designed and handcrafted by me. I use only carefully chosen, high-quality semiprecious gemstones, domestic and imported glass and ceramic beads, freshwater pearls, sterling silver, and a variety of materials from diverse worldwide sources. I hand select each component to ensure that each piece is unique and of the highest quality.

I know my mother would have enjoyed using the bookmarks in her collection of cookbooks. And she would have loved wearing my jewelry, especially the Amethyst necklaces - her favorite gemstone. The pens would have been my father's favorite product, proudly placed alongside his collection of ballpoint pens - which numbered in the hundreds!

When I started to work with beads, I never imagined it would grow into a business. But it did! My custom line of designer jewelry has been featured at the Spertus Museum of Chicago's Gift Shop. My beaded letter openers, magnifying glasses and pens, and select jewelry, are available at the CHIARoScURO gallery and shop in Water Tower Place along Chicago's beautiful North Michigan Avenue. And my website grows and grows as I add new beaded products and jewelry designs.

I design each item of jewelry around the shapes and colors of the natural stones. I spend many hours arranging the stones and sterling silver beads on my worktable, moving them around until I like the way they look. When I design the silver wire accents, I spend a lot of time bending and twisting the wire, so it looks natural on the focal stone - literally as if it were part of the natural texture of the stone. I take the same care in designing the arrangements of the beads I use on the pens, letter openers and magnifying glasses, and the bookmarkers.

I love creating new designs, and take great pride in my work. Each beaded product I create is something I would like to have on my own desk. Each jewelry design is something I would feel good about buying or wearing, or giving as a gift. I spend time reading about the history of beads and the origins of each gemstone, so I can describe it accurately online, as well as showing the photographs.

I've been asked many times, why I chose the name Moonbeams, Lilacs & Roses. The company name is also derived from personal experience. "Moonbeams" is from Rosh Hodesh, a Hebrew symbol of renewal, celebrated at each new moon. It is a powerful opportunity to consider our lives, our commitments, and our goals. "Lilacs" were my mother's birth flower and treasured scent, and "Roses" were a favorite flower - and one of the first flowering bushes she and my father planted in front of their home, where they lived for more than 50 years.

Moonbeams, Lilacs & Roses is a gift from my parents that I cherish each day. Every item I create is my way of sharing that gift with my friends, family and customers.