Three years ago, Charity Toboas wanted a certain pair of earrings but couldn't find them. "I bet I can make those," she said to herself, and started making jewelry.

Her head was full of ideas of what to create next, even though she was already busy. She teaches basic human anatomy at Indiana University, along with having taught bioanthropology and conducting research on paleopathology of diabetes and the impact the disease has on the skeleton. This all as she finishes her Ph.D. in anthropology.

Toboas, who has lived in Bloomington for the past 20 years, designed her art business logo, a purple squirrel, to fit her fondness for that color and mammal. But during her research, she discovered that the term "purple squirrel" has a special meaning in the business world: "That perfect employee, the one you can never find."

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According to Micah Gebreyes at greenhouse.io/blog, nature has no purple squirrels, and neither do many companies.

"Sometimes," Gebreyes writes, "hiring managers are looking for candidates with a combination of skills that are incredibly rare, or flat out impossible. Especially in IT, skill needs are continually evolving and it’s impossible to always be up-to-date on every latest innovation."

Toboas named her purple-squirreled business Lilamokus Designs, not because she seeks an employee (yet?) but because in Hungarian, "lila" is purple; "mokus" is squirrel. She likes Hungarian, too.

"This is my first art exploration. And once I started making stuff, I haven't been able to stop," she said.

She had noticed the Arts Alliance Center at Bloomington's College Mall and became a member last month. Before that, Dull's Tree Farm was hosting a Christmas in July event this summer, and Toboas went for it, marking her business debut. Dull's tree farm, pumpkin patch and homestead are in Thorntown, between Indianapolis and Lafayette.

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Jigsaw puzzles fascinate Toboas, so one of her projects is making earrings in the shape of puzzle pieces. But the jewelry actually is a puzzle piece.

"Look, these two earrings interlock," she said, showing how she designed them to fit together.

As her Ph.D. reaches completion, she is finding more energy to expand her craft repertoire, adding bracelets, necklaces — and lots and lots more earrings.

Find Lilamokus Designs by Charity Toboas at the Arts Alliance Center in the College Mall, 2894 E. Third St., and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LilamokusDesigns/ .

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Lilamokus Designs is creative jewelry outlet for IU teacher, student

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