A new life, beautiful jewelry result from her retrained brain

  • By Theresa Goffredo Herald Writer
  • Thursday, August 14, 2008 1:48pm
  • LifeGo-See-Do

Ever since Anne Robinson was 14 years old, she’s had spells. Those spells have caused broken ribs, a punctured side. One time, Robinson bit through her lip. Then in 2006, she had a seizure and landed on her face on a tile floor. That fall injured her brain. The doctors told Robinson she’d never be the same again.

At the time, Robinson was a head of marketing with an accounting background, working up the corporate ladder. She was making money and zooming through life like a speeding train heading for success. But after that fateful fall, everything changed. The docs were right — Robinson wasn’t the same.

“My faith got a lot deeper and I had to readjust what was really important,” Robinson said.

Never very artistic, Robinson took up jewelry making. She had always wanted to learn but never had the time. Now, she had the time and the need: She had to re-teach her brain how to learn.

The going was slow. Robinson took a three-hour jewelry class but couldn’t absorb more than 20 minutes at a time. She’d have to repeat the class. Others could make a ring the first time they tried; Robinson would have to make the same ring 100 times before getting it right.

“I was just determined not to be stuck on stupid,” Robinson said.

Today, Robinson works in precious metal clay, which she calls the coolest thing because it’s shiny and quite malleable. She also uses natural gemstones in her jewelry. She’ll be at Fresh Paint for the second time this year and will be selling her work, priced from $12 to $595 for a necklace.

“I really do like to make everybody happy and everybody smile and I could do it with jewelry,” she said.

She’s also lucked out in another way. She once thought she was not employable, but about a year ago got an office job with Aces Four Construction in Bothell, which includes office work and taking care of the owners’ dog.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.