Family Sparks Creativity and Love of Gems
My love for jewelry making and gemstone sourcing came from my dad and one of my older sisters. Some of my fondest memories are when we would go as a family to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show annually to meet with our favorite vendors or meet new ones and take home the favorite gems of the day, international treasures, or a rock or mineral specimen to add to our collections.
When my dad retired as an electrical engineer, he started working with different rocks and gemstones. He acquired a rock tumbler and the needed tools and started creating beautiful handcrafted pendants, bolo ties and rings. One of my dad's first masterpiece's was a gorgeous Arizona fire agate ring - it was captivating how the sunlight would catch the agate and looked like it was glowing or on fire. Growing up in Arizona, I was already a rockhound spending my weekends exploring deserted old mine tailings for treasures, but to see how my dad turned this unremarkable rough rock into a work of art, it was stunning and I was hooked!
My sister D on the other hand, definitely received the majority of the design genes in our family and she was a master at doing chainmail (Chainmaille) - this is painstaking hand and tool work connecting metal rings to one another. Her sterling silver and copper chainmail designs were one of a kind, she was a true artist. The few bracelet pieces that she made for me are priceless and I cherish them dearly.
My dad and my sister D left us way too soon and I miss them every day. I know they are together creating beautiful jewelry together. I believe that my dad and sister D are smiling down upon their 'lil sis "Sher-Bear" and youngest daughter as I strive to carry on what they had started and ignited in me with my own creations.
Please visit my other Etsy shop: ArchGraphics, for custom and personalized designs for everyday living at ArchGraphics.etsy.com
