ABOUT – 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’… That pretty much sums up how I feel about life and so it became the name of our business.
Susan Tereba / World on a String was born in 1990 with the magical Balinese culture at its core. The spirit of our work is expressed through carvings made out of various exquisite natural materials such as fossilized mammoth tusk, jet, bone, tagua nut, exotic woods, semi-precious and precious stones.
While I’m the creative designer, I feel more like an orchestra leader, intuitively conducting my band of talented Balinese carvers, beaders, metalsmiths, stone setters and assistants. Through our collaborative artistry guided by my careful conducting, the process reaches a point of harmony, and the unique art works begin to sing. Our range of high quality, one of a kind jewelry and sculptures draw on elements from around the globe and across eons of time.
We also specialize in producing other designer’s designs to their specifications and deadlines. We love the challenge of creating custom pieces for both retail and wholesale customers who have a special image they would like to bring to life
MEET OUR TEAM
The Right People for your Project
SUARNI
BEADING DESIGN
MADE
OFFICE MANAGER
BECOL
PRODUCTION MANAGER
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!
