Leslie Sternlieb grew up in Coral Gables, Florida, where she dug holes (using a teaspoon) in her backyard in search of dinosaur bones. She didn’t find any there, and apparently no one else did either, because until recently (geologically speaking) Florida was underwater. She collected rocks and fossils, and considered herself an aspiring paleontologist. Leslie’s small local science museum didn’t have any dinosaur skeletons on display--the best they could offer was a concrete model of a giant land sloth, which once inhabited Florida--and she dreamed of seeing the life-size dinosaur models at the Sinclair pavilion at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. She missed out on that, too. (Living in Florida did have its disadvantages.) She watched The Flintstones on TV, however.

Children are often enchanted by dinosaurs and learn the names and habits of these wondrous creatures. Leslie did, and even corrected her second grade teacher when she got something wrong.

Leslie didn't become a paleontologist. In fact, she never made it to calculus, which cut her out of the running for a career in science. Her interests expanded to a wide range of subjects, and she became a writer and editor instead.  As she grew older, philanthropy became a priority, and she served in leadership positions on a variety of nonprofit boards.

But collecting jewelry for her always held a special allure… particularly antique and artist-made pieces that told some kind of story.

Exquisite Eons™ unites her passions for jewelry, science, and philanthropy—with much nostalgia for her childhood dinosaur days.