Kidney Muse

muse: a person or personified force who is the source of inspiration for a creative artist; inspiration, creative influence

October 4, 2017

Welcome to my website and my first blogging effort! This long awaited website project has been bubbling up after 5 years of procrastination, so I’m thrilled that it’s finally here.

So who am I and why am I selling kidney shaped items? Here is the short story of my business…

I’m Myra Schwartz, a longtime US kidney patient, current transplant recipient and full time jewelry designer since 1991. In 2002, before receiving my transplant from a Heroic cousin-in-law, I began searching for a special gift of gratitude to present to her. I knew that it had to be meaningful and symbolic of our journey together….but what is an appropriate gift for someone who gives you the Gift of Life?

I wanted something both tangible and symbolic to remind my donor of her noble sacrifice and how much it was appreciated. Unable to locate anything worthy of this extraordinary gift, I took a class in lost wax casting and made her a necklace with a one-of-a-kind sterling kidney pendant. I then wondered if other recipients were also looking for ways to show their appreciation to their living donors, doctors, family members and supporters. Beginning a small website using a collection of kidney shaped beads to test the waters, it quickly became apparent that recipients around the world were also searching for meaningful gifts to present to the special Heroes in their lives.

I seem to have a radar for kidney shaped beads and objects. I searched for and found kidney beads at bead and gem shows, but I also found other artists to make kidney beads for me out of glass, metals, wood and a variety of other materials. I’ve even had gemstone kidney beads made overseas to my exact specifications.

One of the tradeoffs of having my transplant was that working with chemicals, acids and fumes in a silversmith studio was not safe for my priceless kidney, so the choice to give up that work was not difficult. I still love designing however, so even though I can no longer safely work in a metals shop, I can still sketch the details of how I want a new piece to look with strong meaning behind it. After all these years, I still love working with the beautifully organic form of a kidney. Each design is infused with the feelings I had for my own donor’s gift of life and our transplant experience.

I serendipitously found an excellent studio in Bali that transforms my sketches and measurements into finished products. We’ve worked together since 2012 and the silversmiths meticulously produce pieces for both my kidney collection as well as my (non kidney) art jewelry line. I hope to continue bringing new designs to fruition that will help tell YOUR story as well as my own.

Here I am below with my Hero/Donor/Cousin/MUSE Fran, over the last 15 years. We live 700 miles apart, but bonded as young women when my first cousin Richard brought her to Chicago to introduce family to the woman he was going to marry. I never expected such a miracle from this wonderfully generous and beautiful muse who first entered my life over 40 years ago.