Doreen Garten grew up on a dairy farm in north central Wisconsin, studied architecture, and pursued a varied career shaped by curiosity and a life abroad. While her husband, Mike, worked with countries on weapons reduction, Doreen built her own path—authoring two books in Tokyo, establishing a foundation in Singapore, working as a petroleum market analyst, and advocating for children’s education.
After they moved to New Mexico, Mike challenged Doreen, then in her sixties, to take a silversmithing class and put their years of collected stones to use. That invitation sparked a new creative chapter.
Today, Doreen creates wearable art in her eco-friendly Albuquerque studio. Drawing on her architectural background and love of natural materials, she brings gemstones, metals, and other elements together in jewelry that reflects a lifetime of exploration.
