About Susan Tereba Designs and World on a String
The first line of an old jazz standard starts with, ‘I’ve got the world on a string, sittin’ on a rainbow’… The sense of whimsy and joy conveyed by that line reflects Susan’s outlook on life, and so it was chosen to be the name of our business.
Established in 1990, Susan Tereba – World on a String nestled itself comfortably in the magical culture of Bali. Our range of high quality, one-of-a-kind jewelry and sculptures draw on elements from around the globe and across eons of time.
While Susan Tereba is the creative designer and CVO (Chief Visionary Officer), she feels more like an orchestra leader, intuitively conducting her band of talented Balinese carvers, beaders, metal smiths, stone setters and assistants.
Through collaborative artistry guided by her careful attention to rhythm, the process reaches a point of harmony, and the unique creations come alive.
Our workplace ethic emphasizes joy, spirit, adventure, love, and compassion. Though we all work hard to produce exquisite pieces, it’s also important that everyone here is happy. It’s not uncommon for in-house staff to sing while working, tease each other, and fill our place with laughter.
In gratitude for our good fortune and success, WORLD ON A STRING regularly contributes to worthwhile causes in Bali.
For instance, we help feed the frail elderly in our village. We also support a foundation that works to keep girls in school, many of whom go on to university. And finally, we donate to Bumi Sehat’s reproductive education health program.
Meet Our Team
Our wonderful team shares a deep connection forged over decades of working together.
Each person brings their unique strengths and creativity to World on a String, making it a special place. We are a multicultural family tied together by mutual respect, hard work, and lots of love.
MADE
OFFICE MANAGER
Our Office Manager, Made, has been with us since 2000 and is a complete joy to work with. He keeps the operations of World on a String running smoothly, even when the road gets bumpy.
Made’s creativity compliments mine, and he has a unique ability to interpret my visions and words into tangible designs for the carvers to use.
SUARNI
BEADING DESIGN
Suarni has been with me for over 30 years. We work together designing necklaces and earrings
and she has a seamless understanding of the feelings I want to express in our jewelry.
Suarni now shares her own creative ideas with me, and so our work together flows ever more perfectly. She is a quiet and amazingly strong woman who meditates and practices yoga regularly.
BECOL
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Becol, our production manager, is quiet and introspective. We think of him as our Buddha. He interfaces between the carvers who produce our gorgeous pieces. He cuts the materials used for carving to their proper sizes.
Becol also creates the bases for our sculptures, sets the gemstones, and ensures the quality and beauty of everything we produce. He has been with us since the early 1990’s.
DEWA
OFFICE ASSISTANT
Dewa, a delightful jack-of-all-trades, helps wherever he is needed. He applies the final sealer coat on our painted pieces and does a million other things to keep World on a String on track.
He teases and jokes with everyone and adds a lot of positive energy to our workspace. He is also the master of staff birthday celebrations.
DESAK
HOUSE ASSISTANT
Desak is our amazing cook who also happens to be an excellent baker! Everything that comes from her presence in the kitchen is infused with love.
She also does many household chores which frees me up to oversee the business and be the creative director. Without her, I couldn’t do what I do. Desak has been with us well over ten years.
KOMANG
GARDENER & DRIVER
Komang is our gardener and driver. Our garden is glorious because of him, which in turn gives us all inspiration directly from nature. He is an excellent driver too, getting us to all our suppliers safely and efficiently.
His wit and great sense of humor ensures that he’s always fun to be around.
About Susan Tereba
Creativity is my life’s blood, my reason d’etre. It washes through me whether I’m painting, writing, designing, photographing, making jewelry or even cooking. It sometimes spends the night with me influencing my dreams. When my intuition and creativity link up and I step out of the way, magic happens.
It often seems that the universe supports this journey. Once, I was living on a remote Italian island and needed to see a dragonfly to complete a painting. There were no reference books, no internet, and I’d never seen a dragonfly while I was there, but my intuition insisted this element was important for the painting.
The very next day a dragonfly hovered around me and landed on a tall blade of grass next to where I was having breakfast. I slowly got up to get a pencil and paper. The dragonfly, still there when I returned, allowed me to sketch him, turning this way and that so I could get all angles. Then with an, ‘Arrivederci!’ he flew off, not to be seen again.
My heart sings with these magical moments.
Wanderlust got a hold of me when I was in my thirties. I traveled to Europe and Asia, always returning inspired and bursting with new ideas. Eventually I was deposited on ‘The Island of the Gods’, Bali, Indonesia, where I’ve lived since 1990. I still love to travel, finding inspiration wherever I go.
Besides creating visual objects, I also love the art of words. After being the primary caregiver for my husband who had Alzheimer’s for fourteen years, I published a memoir titled, Piece by Piece: Love in the Land of Alzheimer’s. In 2016 I gave a TEDx talk on the subject, hoping to inspire and support other caregivers.
The gratitude I have for life and the inspirations that come my way in this journey seep into my jewelry which I’m delighted to share with you on this website. Come, explore Suzworld and be inspired.
Ops! There goes an idea. I’d better run and catch it!
