"Rose Garden Promise" -- My first impression on seeing this beautiful, colorful moss agate was that it was a miniature scene of a lush rose garden. I hand-sculpted a rose and bud from fine silver metal clay, hand-hammered leaves from Argentium silver sheet, and formed stems from Argentium silver wire. So while I never promised a rose garden, I did make a wearable one. Chain is sterling silver. $395
"Minnesota Memories" -- In memory of my mom and grandma, Minnesota gardeners whose flowers bloomed from the last snowfall of Spring to the first hard frost of Fall, I created this necklace around a sunflower I hand-sculpted in silver metal clay and paired with two flowery Morgan Hill poppy jasper cabochons and a Floy Wash Travertine. I hand-hammered the "stems" from sterling silver wire and set the stones in Argentium and fine silver. The adjustable chain is sterling. $695.
"Lake Superior Legacy" -- An homage to summers spent digging for agates in our long dirt driveway in Minnesota, this pendant centers around a classically banded Lake Superior agate that I cut to a paisley shape that complements the stone’s natural banding. A corner bezel and prongs hold the stone in place while showing off the striping on the sides. I cut a small paisley shape on the back to provide visibility to the patterns that continue on the back of the stone. $295.
“Seascape Series: Ink” — The minute I saw this breathtaking agate with a natural amethyst crystal “top,” cut by lapidary artist Keith Dull, I knew I would turn it over to make the upper part of a squid. I made Ink's arms and tentacles with metal clay. Two freshwater pearl beads make Ink’s eyes. The base under the stone is Argentium silver, the head, legs and bezel are fine silver, and the chain is sterling silver. $550
Handmade Broom Casting with High-grade Lapis Lazuli Stone -- Lapidary artist Keith Dull cut this brilliant blue lapis lazuli stone that I have set on an icicle-shaped broom casting -- created by pouring molten silver into a bundle of wet broom straw. The silver burns its way down, each time creating a unique pattern. Pendant is Argentium and fine silver. Chain is sterling silver. $335
"Color Me CockaTEAL" — This statement-sized piece of chrysocolla with native copper displays a natural edge and druzy pockets. It is so filled with bright colors and textures that it brought to mind the tropical colors of Indonesia where the stone is from. I paired it with three flashy Australian opal doublets that reflect the hues in the bigger stone, and did a cutout on the back that is loosely based a cockatoo found in Indonesia. Setting is Argentium silver. Chain is sterling. $550
“All that Glitters” — This large Argentium silver bracelet cuff sports a big piece of simbircite — a stone named for the Simbirsk region of Russia, the area where these pyritized ammonite fossils are found — and a small piece of rainbow pyrite. I added a texture to the silver and a rich patina that ranges from a golden color to blue. The patina will gradually darken over time. The cuff will fit a medium to large wrist, male or female. $545
"Sea and Sky" -- For this piece, I paired two varieties of fossilized coral with a beautiful Regency Rose plume agate with a postcard sunset on fluffy clouds. I worked up a design to display the three stones as a set and reated celestial cutouts to provide a peek to the backs of each stone. I added a patina to the silver so the light colors of the stone would pop. Pendant is Argentium and fine silver. Necklace is sterling. $485
“Glyph”— This black and red condor agate, cut by lapidary artist Jesse Batcho, makes me think of a petroglyph or hieroglyph painted on a background of red ochre. This seemed the right stone to pair with this small broom casting, which reminds me, as most broom castings do, of stalactites. For me, this pendant brings to mind a cave painting, with its meaning lost to the ages. Pendant is Argentium and fine silver. Chain is sterling. $295
"Crackling" — This one-of-a-kind necklace features a rare shrinkwood cabochon, from Winnweiler, Germany. "Shrinkwood" refers to wood that, after preservation, broke apart, resulting in small cracks that naturally sealed back together with chalcedony. The stone and hand-sculpted copper flower are set on tarnish-resistant Argentium silver. The chain is sterling silver. The stone's pattern reminded me of patterns I have seen on geckos. Hence the "crackling" on the back. Available Aug. 9. $475
"A Drop of Roses" —Recently, I experimented with water casting, a technique that involves dripping molten silver into water. Ths most interesting of the resulting shapes looked like a rose blossom. I paired it with a lovely garden moss agate, cut by lapidary artist Ardi Maulana, and created leaves and stems as a bail. Sterling, Argentium and fine silver. $295
“Convergence” — I have never been to Morocco, but I understand African, Middle Eastern and Western European cultures converge there, with marketplaces that explode with color and variety. Before I knew where these two big agates were from, their brilliant colors and detailed patterns drew me in. Together, set in silver, they showcase a natural convergence of color, light and lines. I paired them with mookaite and garnet beads. $685
Even though I have many jewelry projects waiting in my queue, this colorful little Laguna lace agate shouted over the others, “Me! Me! Pick me!” The sides of the agate were too beautiful to cover with a bezel, so I prong-set the stone. The band, created by soldering three wires together, echoes the lines in the agate. I intentionally offset the ring band to align with the stone’s patterns. Setting is 0.935 Argentium and 0.925 sterling silver. Size 10.25. $175
"Purple Dreams" — I purchased these two stunning Morado opals separately, but when I laid them out together on my work bench, they seemed like extensions of each other, with their swirling, dreamy purple cloud patterns. The layout came together organically. I ran Argentium silver sheet metal through the rolling mill with a paper towel to create the soft mottled texture on the choker necklace and added a hematite bead in a little handmade flower cup for an accent. $465
“Dreaming of Poppies” — I added a fine silver metal clay flower and bud alongside this rare Morgan Hill poppy jasper, exquisitely cut lapidary artist Paul Forsythe. I carefully placed and hand-sawed cutouts to provide a view to a a few of the flowers on the back of the stone and added wire stems and a bud and leaf for context. Chain is sterling silver. $550
“Cubism” — The lines and patterns in these beautiful Red Creek jasper stones are naturally occurring artwork. I have framed that art on tarnish-resistant Argentium silver and extended the lines beyond these miniature “canvasses,” using a combination of copper wire and sterling silver half bead wire. The chain and lever-back ear wires are sterling silver. Available Aug. 9. Necklace: $255. Earrings: $165. If purchased as a set, $400.
Rare kyanite, with its shimmery shades of blue, dangle from flashy Australian opals on these one-of-a-kind, artisan-created earrings. The dangles turn on fine silver chains to showcase beautiful hand-sawed iris flowers. Sterling silver hooks. $255
"Abstraction" -- The rich, warm colors and patterns in this Cherry Creek jasper jewelry set bring to mind jungle scenes, with palm fronds, vines and branches, as though represented in an abstract painting. That is why, for the “frame,” I added extensions that aligned with natural lines in the stones and why I impressed a palm leaf pattern on the silver backs. Pendant and earrings are tarnish-resistant silver, accented with copper "dewdrops." Chain and ear wires are sterling. $385 for set.
This statement-sized cuff bracelet features a one-of-a-kind high-quality sodalite stone, with orange and white patterning across the bright blue background. The tarnish-resistant argentium silver cuff features a subtle texture that complements the pattern on the stone. Medium, adjustable bracelet. $325
Cut by lapidary artist Robert Johannes, these lavender-colored jadeite teardrop earrings are set in sterling silver and paired with dangling amethyst beads. The earrings are designed to be reversible, with the backs featuring hand-pierced iris flower peekaboos to the Turkish jadeite. $225