Barb has always been artistic. Even as a child her parents would constantly need to resupply the crayon box and paint containers for her to continue to create new works of art. Color is her life and she loves to express it through her art. She believes color is where her ideas are born. Throughout her life she has tried and accomplished watercolor painting, silk screening, fabric art, sculpting, and acrylic painting on canvas.

But it was a 25th wedding anniversary Caribbean cruise that got Barb really interested in jewelry and jewelry crafting and design. She was intrigued by all the exotic semi-precious gems that were making their way into fine jewelry. So when she got home from that first cruise she started researching where these gems come from and how to get them. Well, needless to say, she stumbled upon all the bead and gem web sites on the internet and realized she could make her own beautiful jewelry with just a little study and practice. Soon friends and family were requesting that she make them jewelry and gifts for their families. She now has honed her skills to include beading, seed beading, and fabricating many of the components of the jewelry with emphasis on fused glass and PMC works. Inspired by her late, artist sister Suzie, she is forever in search of new knowledge and most recently has taken classes in Silver Medalsmithing and Bezel Setting.

After being married for 28 years her life change dramatically when her husband past away unexpectedly. At the time she had been doing jewelry crafting as a hobby and selling a few things to friends as Barb Barras Jewelry Designs. Then, another turn of events occurred and she had an opportunity to leave the major manufacturing corporation she had worked at for over 30 years. The two events shook her world slightly so she took solace in her acrylic painting to collect her thoughts and get in touch with herself again. But she was missing the creativity and sense of manufacturing something with her hands and her tools. She also missed talking and selling to all the different people she’d meet while showing her jewelry. On a recent trip to Tucson, AZ to the Gem and Mineral Show she met a group of people that encourage her so much that she has decided to get back into the business of jewelry design and crafting her one of a kind jewelry pieces.

Barb designs and handcrafts all her own pieces, with ideas she has collected from fashion magazines and jewelry magazines. She combines those two elements to create her own “High Style”.

Barb is a member of the International Society of Glass Beadmakers and the PMC Guild. She is also on the Oconomowoc Arts Festival Committee.