When Dorothy graduated with a degree in art from the California College of Arts & Crafts, she had every intention of becoming a sculptor. But to help pay for her studio, she started selling hand-blown glass jewelery to specialty stores and soon found herself concentrating on the jewelry. She then discovered rhinestones and her"mini sculptures" were born. But it was Dorothy's affinity for humor and whimsy in her pieces which immediately attracted attention. "I can't help it," Dorothy laughs,"Just about everything I see, I want to make in rhinestones. I really appreciate the shape of objects and want to immortalize them" says Dorothy.

In 1982, Dorothy and her husband Robert started A Piece of the Rainbow (the name was a combination of a takeoff from Prudential Insurance Co.'s "A Piece of the Rock" slogan and Bauer's love of rainbows). Now after a name change, A Piece of the Rainbow is now known as Dorothy Bauer Designs.