I cut this "heel" of native copper in chrysocolla from the end of a larger stone. It was uneven and rough, but I wanted to show its translucent depths. I paired it with a small piece of chrysocolla and a round of near-gem-quality Australian chrysoprase. I cut a seahorse on the front and an octopus on the back to allow light to pass through the stone and show its hidden treasures. $685

"Seascape Series: Jelly" -- A brilliantly colored Indonesian seam agate with a natural edge forms the bell of the jellyfish, while the fine-chain tentacles sway with the movements of the wearer, reflecting the fluidity and grace of this ocean dweller. A heart on the back allows light to pass through the translucent stone. Freshwater pearls shimmer on the ends of the tentacles. Fine, Argentium and sterling silver. $445

“Fruit of the Vine” — I hand-cut the three small “grape” clusters from a larger piece of grape agate, pressed fine silver metal clay into molds I handmade using small grape leaves I picked from a nearby prairie, hand-sawed the Argentium silver backplates the grape clusters rest upon, and used a special hand tool to twist the wire “stems” and choker. The sterling silver chain and clasp with amethyst bead dangle allows the wearer to adjust the size of the choker. $855

"Auspicious Dragon" --When I first flipped over this beautiful crazy lace agate, cut by Paul Forsythe, I immediately saw the temple dragon on the back of the stone. The intricate patterns and red lines reinforced the agate’s celebratory nature, so I created a setting to showcase the stone and its dragon. The setting is tarnish-resistant Argentium silver. I hand-sculpted the larger flower using copper metal clay and made the smaller flower from copper sheet. The chain is sterling silver. $625

"Year of the Snake" -- This reversible pendant, of rare Hornitos poppy jasper, features the lunar zodiac sign of the snake. I fabricated the flowers from copper sheet metal and hand stamped the diamond pattern into silver sheet before sawing out the snake and soldering on its tiny copper eyes. The backplate, bail and snake body are tarnish-resistant Argentium silver. The chain is sterling silver. $595

"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. $755.

"Seascape Series: Ocean Jasper Jelly" -- An exceptional piece of old-stock ocean jasper with a beautiful deep-green crystal edge forms the bell of the jellyfish, while the fine-chain tentacles sway with the movements of the wearer, reflecting the fluidity and grace that make this sea dweller so beautiful. Freshwater pearls shimmer on the ends of the tentacles. Fine, Argentium and sterling silver. $445

“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. $695

“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. $625

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. $375

“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. $675

"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. $535

“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. $345

"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. $535

"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. $355

"Grains" Copper and Silver Necklace -- The seed grains at the center of this botanical pendant are hand-formed of copper metal clay using an original mold created from actual wild prairie grains. The tarnish-resistant Argentium silver oval backdrop is hand-sawed and hand-textured to create a unique piece that will take you from casual to formal and everywhere between. Chain is sterling silver. $245

"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. $525

“Dreaming of Poppies” — I added a fine silver metal clay flower and bud alongside this rare Morgan Hill poppy jasper, exquisitely cut by 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. $635

"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. $350.