Ask Carolyn Tyler how she came to be a jewelry designer living in Bali and she'll shrug and say with a wink "I guess it was in the stars".

Born under the creative sign of Libra in Los Angeles, she spent her post-university years in Santa Barbara, California, running a successful advertising agency.

In 1989 she traveled to Southeast Asia and fell under the spell of "the Island of the Gods", with its gracious people and rich spiritual traditions. Four years later, after spending many months there each year, she closed her business and moved to Indonesia to embark on a new adventure in creativity.

From her self-designed home, which she describes as "an oversized piece of jewelry which functions as a house", she envisions and sketches jeweled creations both whimsical and royal.
With the help of her loyal team of master craftsmen, she performs the alchemy of turning her dreams into gold.

For Carolyn Tyler, collecting gemstones is a passion. She favors using "phenomenal" gems (those that possess special qualities of light reflection and refraction), ancient coins and South Sea pearls in her one-of-a-kind creations.

Nature, mythology, art, music, and dance inspire the designs. Themes from the artifacts of ancient civilizations and tribal art symbolism reflect her background in archaeology and anthropology.

Using goldsmithing techniques from antiquity such as granulation, filigree, and repousse, she creates pieces that are evocative of the fabled buried treasures of Golden Ages past.

The designer's preference for working in 18-24 karat gold gives this jewelry unusual luster, weight, and lasting value, making it an excellent heirloom investment.