Who is Noel?

"Handcrafted jewelry that is as unique and beautiful as the people who wear it" defines Noel's design philosophy. An exuberant and generous individual, Noel has turned a passion for color, form and people into a fast growing, cutting edge business.

Unlike designers who dressed dolls or made costumes for dance recitals, Noel spent her youth playing hard in Canada's heartland. A young Noel crisscrossed Canada with her two brothers to compete in swim meets, becoming the top swimmer in her age group by age eight. These early travel experiences exposed Noel to different people and places, planting seeds of desire and creativity that later encouraged her to look beyond her native Alberta.

Noel's first taste of the fashion world began as a teen. Her brother Chip, imported and sold floral swimwear from Hawaii, which Noel incorporated into her own wardrobe. Noel was sporting the latest hip suit even then! Noel still promotes her brother's line of clothing (Lululemon) today. She often wears his sports line with one of her own necklaces.

Arriving in Texas to attend college, Noel became an instant fashion advisor to all of her dorm mates. On school holidays, Noel designed and made her college wardrobe. Her enthusiasm and creative vision permeated everyone around her. A career as a clothing buyer took Noel to Denver after graduation. As the oil boom of the late eighties roared, drawing her out of the fashion world and into the oil fields, Noel soon became a "land man". She honed her marketing and sales talents in the rough and tumble oil industry. After the oil boom went bust, Noel returned to retail, managing four locations of WaveRave, a trendy surf and snowboard store founded by her younger brother Brett.

Never content to be far from the "leading edge," Noel made her way to Silicon Valley during the mid eighties, where she became a top performer in the computer business. Her drive to win and infectious personality made her a natural salesperson, as did her previous retail experience.

After marrying and starting a family, Noel left the high-tech business to be at home with her two children. She sought opportunities to volunteer in her community, using her creativity, problem-solving skills and ebullient personality. She ran the art program in her childrens' school, chaired auction donation committees and built a vast network of friends. As the "life of the party," any event with Noel in attendance was bound to be a success!!!

How did "Designs by Noel" begin?

In 2002, Noel became interested in the exploding world of necklace design. Looking for an outlet for her considerable creative drive, she decided to start designing pieces for herself and her close friends and family. Soon other people were asking Noel to create pieces for them, with that one of a kind, "Noel" look. A hobby soon became a thriving business.

Since then, Noel has created hundreds of unique pieces, each of them with that special, indescribable, "Noel" look. Noel combines unusual materials and encourages her clients to step "out of their box". Her pieces are created for women to wear with jeans or a formal gown - to that "one of a kind" function, or to a Saturday morning soccer game.

Noel continues to swim, competing in the last two Alcatraz Challenge Swims (San Francisco Bay), both times placing among the top five women finishers overall. She believes in an active lifestyle, closely knit with family and friends. She has traveled to many exciting places as a result of Designs by Noel. Most days, however, find her creating in her studio, organizing her next big show, and always wearing her latest design!!

Most valuable to Noel's business are the friendships she has built with her clients. Often the first to hear how the "big event" went, she takes great pleasure from providing women with designs that make them feel beautiful. Turning her ideas into striking jewelry and selling these one of a kind pieces to the right person makes it all worthwhile!