Given that, bar codes are an extremely loaded symbol.
Using the bar code was a really clear message about identity. In our consumer society, everything is labeled with a bar code. The code contains the price and the identity of the object, and the stores now create an identity for you as a consumer based on what you've purchased at the store.

Also, with the bar codes, there's something amazingly attractive about the pattern, the black and white.

So, if's hard to resist the aesthetics, even if the meaning is a bit ominous?
Yes. I'm obsessed by color and pattern. I cannot resist it.

Since your work does have layers of meaning, is it a disappointment if people only see the aesthetics?
Well, there are pieces of jewelry that are truly decorative. But I do have the ambition that my work should have multiple messages. But I'm never disappointed when someone doesn't get it, because I don't really expect that they will, right off.

I always try to make every one of my pieces have a level of entry. People might think that my bracelets are attractive and pay attention on that level. If they spend a little time and look at my other work, they start to understand the messages.

There's a strong sense of irony in your work. Like the Worry Beads, which are anything but soothing.
Yes. Those are related to food and worries about being overweight or eating too much or eating too little. I was invited to be in a bead show, and the request was to make one bead. Now, I'm type AAA, overachiever... I don't think I could make one of anything! Of course, that ties right in to the theme of the beads.

And one of your larger installations — the grass.
Every one of those blades is made of recycled tin cans and is as sharp as a razor. Only a society as rich as we are can afford to invest time and money into maintaining lawns. They have a terrible environmental impact. We water our lawns with our drinking water. We put chemicals on our lawns, and then we want our children to play on them. The ideal playscape. Yes, it is irony.

You also speak of being an "advocate" for jewelry.
Most people are very timid about jewelry. You watch the Academy Awards, and they're all dressed up, they've put all this time and effort into their clothing and their hair, but they don't understand that a significant piece of jewelry isn't just gemstones.

I overheard a person in a grocery store say that she'd never pay $60 for a bracelet... what do you do with that? This is doom for people who want to make a profession out of making jewelry. What better way to be advocates for interesting pieces of jewelry than wearing it ourselves? I want people to wear gigantic bracelets to the grocery store and spark up a conversation!

[a] Bracelets in multiple shapes. Recycled tin, brass details.6.5-8.5-in. (16.5-21.6cm) diameter, [b] Tennis Bracelet. Recycled tin, plastic, cubic zirconia, 14k gold. 8.25-in. (21cm) diameter, [c] Bronze UPC Necklace. Recycled tin, Plexiglas, brass tubing, polymer clay, electrical wire, sterling silver, 10k gold. Beads 30-42mm (1.188-1.625-in.) diameter, [d] Worry Beads. Recycled steel containers, stainless steel cable. 2.5-3-in. (64-76mm) diameter, [e] Patterns of Position and Possession sculptural object. Preprinted recycled steel, painted brass. 16 x 16 x 16.5-in. (40.6 x 40.6 x 41.9cm). [f ] Identity Beads necklace and bracelets. Recycled tin, Plexiglas, brass tubing, electrical-wire cords, sterling silver, 10k gold. Beads 30-70mm (1.188-2.75-in.) diameter, [g] Detail view of Increasing Quantity, Diminishing Value installation piece. Individual blades of grass are fabricated recycled steel on a copper base. 58 x 8 x 7 in. (147.3 x 20.3 x 17.8cm). [h] Prestige, Value, and Identity bracelets. Recycled tin, brass, plastic. 5.75-6-in. (14.6-15.2cm) diameter, [i] Antennae Fossil Bronze and Black Identity Bead Bracelet. Recycled tin, Plexiglas, brass tubing, polymer clay, rubber cords. Beads 31mm (1.2-in.) diameter; bracelet 18cm (7.0625-in.) diameter (including antennae), [j] Free Internet Tin Bracelets. Recycled tin containers, plastic core. Round bracelet 5-in. (12.7cm) diameter; rectangular bracelet 5.5-in. (14cm) wide. Photos by Phil Cohen.