When Astrid met her future husband, a Naval officer, she refused to become a military "dependent." Instead, she started working, first as a project engineer, then as a contract negotiator for the government, enabling her to accompany her husband. Her husband's developing career led them all over the globe, including Hawaii, Guam, and Singapore, where his additional offices in Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Australia led to further travels throughout Asia. Bali and Thailand left indelible impressions of beauty and grace, symphonies of style and colour.

One day, in a hotel room in Hong Kong overlooking the beautiful Victoria Harbour, Astrid admired some gemstones she had bought at the Jade Market in Hong Kong and intuitively drew the parallels with another sea faring city in the west, Venice, Italy. This initial impression led her to design jewellery with origins in both the Adriatic and the China Sea. A jewelry design company was the next logical step.

Schmuckperlen G2B GmbH brings you pearls from the waters of the Pacific, gemstones from all over Asia, and beads from Venice, handmade in the same centuries-old glass making tradition in a marriage between East and West, beauty and meaning.

Schmuckperlen G2B GmbH currently resides in Alsfeld, Germany and is run by Kathrin (Kae) Hall, Astrid's daughter.

Kae, after completing a Bachelor (BA (Hons) MMA) in Applied Arts at the University of Westminster in London, joined the company and assumed increasingly responsible assignments over the years and is now the Managing Director for Schmuckperlen G2B GmbH, while Astrid has returned to her job in the US Government. Kae is responsible for amongst many other things for the beautiful bead pictures.