Balbi Meyers - Spanish Artist and Actress - Our Homespun Spinner of Fine Jewelry

Art In Wire - Leonardtown

We don't allow ads in the Coltons Point Times so occasionally we venture out of the safety of the infamous 7th District in Maryland to check out the rest of the world. The nearest town of any substance is Leonardtown also in St. Mary's County, about 20 minutes down the road, and in this quiet and ancient town you can find Spanish transplant Balbi (short for Balbina) Meyers just off the square.

She is proprietor of the Art in Wire shop and is one of the finest custom, one-of-a-kind jewelry artists in America. Before talking about her collectible pieces let me first give you a thumbnail sketch of this fascinating personality who was born in Switzerland to Spanish parents who then moved back to southern Spain where she was raised.





When you think of Spanish women, especially actresses, you see images of fiery flamingo dancers and beautiful heartthrobs who can dominate a movie and light up a crowd. Balbi is no exception. She got her start roller skating in a giant supermarket in Spain handling customer service calls from cashiers for price checks and whatever else might come up. These European stores make Super Walmart stores look small so the skates were necessary for the assistants to get around in a timely fashion.

It was in the store where she met an American Navy man who became enchanted by her personality, looks and dreams at age 19 and not long after they were married. She worked her way into the Spanish Tourism office where she became quite gifted in developing unique events to attract the tourists of the world. It was this knack for marketing that served her well when she arrived in America with her husband and son.





She also dabbled in dancing and acting and was cast in a Bruce Willis Die Hard movie where she appeared on film next to our favorite New Jersey tough guy, after Jack Nicholson that is, in the action packed final scenes of the movie. So it was a small part, have you ever acted in a Bruce Willis hit movie?

Somewhere along the way Balbi got interested in gold, silver and precious stones and decided she didn't like what she found in the exclusive stores in the USA and decided to design and make her own line of jewelry. As with everything she does, she jumped in feet first and promptly began scouring precious stone dealer shows around the country and then decided she needed to go and work the mines to see where the stones were found. Imagine her with a hard hat, hammer and chisel deep down in the bowels of the Earth in search of the perfect stones for her new line of jewelry.

In time she became exceptionally talented in the art of wire weaving gold and silver with her many precious stones, and the necklaces, bracelets, ear rings and ensembles she designs and makes that are stunning, dazzling, intricate, and fit for a queen. This is not the cheap craft shop junk but pieces you expect to find in Tiffany's or Neiman Marcus on 5th Avenue in NYC and Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.

Soon enough Tiffany will discover her and suddenly her unique pieces will become the rage of Paris, Hollywood and London and we will never be able to afford them again but for the moment she is working away in Leonardtown and the prices are incredibly reasonable so my advice is invest in her jewelry now as family heirlooms are not easy to come by.

She has the perfect gifts for Mother's Day, Christmas, birthdays or whatever for the mother, wife, daughter or girlfriend you want to really impress. People even order their own custom work by her and get to pick out the stones from her vast collection.

Wire working is an art form that can never be replaced by machines and you owe it to yourself to check out this most unusual find right here in St. Mary's County, Maryland. You can even find her online if you are too far away to stop in at http://artinwirejewelry.com.

Do your patriotic part to get the world out of a recession by dropping a few hundred at the Art in Wire shop while acquiring for yourself or loved one a virtual classic piece of jewelry. Look for Balbi at the Drury Building, 41625 Park Avenue in downtown Leonardtown. Call her at 240-538-4571 or email http://artinwirejewelry.com and you will not be disappointed.