| My childhood was spent
rock hunting with my dad, searching for garnets and
fire opals in the hills of Idaho. As a teenager I took
up photography, winning an award for underwater photography
at the age of 23. My interest in rocks and unusual compositions
has kept me intrigued through the years. Twelve years
ago I began working with gems and have not stopped since.
Certification as a bench jeweler by the Gemological
Institute of America opened up a new world of composition
and color for me. I enjoy creating custom pieces and
am always interested to see what treasures a new approach
to the gold and different gem combinations will yield.
When hand cutting my specially chosen stones, I plan
for maximum brilliance. Many commercial stones you have
seen in jewelry stores are cut above what is known as
“critical angle”. This means that the stone
has been cut for weight, and the stone itself is thinner.
You can usually see through a stone that is cut in this
manner. All my stones are cut deeply for maximum sparkle
and brilliance--always above the critical angle. This
means you cannot see through my hand cut stones. They
have the "ooooh factor"---radiating a rare
brilliance and depth of color that my customers comment
on again and again.
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