Earth-Inspired Wirework and Lapidary

These pendants are some of my best work in private collections and my own personal pieces.

A beautiful emerald crystal cluster in sterling with chrysoprase and pearl accents. Topped with a matching facetted glass cabochon.

Two azurite pendants from the same slab in sterling wire with chrysoprase, kyanite, apatite, lapiz and copper notes.

Finished parrotwing chrysocolla with jelly opal and gemstone beads.

Conch shell in sterling with floral pearl and gemstone accents.

Five Indian rubies in goldfill wire with flame gemstone accents.

An amethyst flower crystal in a silver/gold fill setting. Amethyst, iolite, green tourmaline and silver dangles accent the large sugilite bead at the top.

This geode half is set in silver and goldfill wire adorned with pearls, spinels, garnet and andalusite. Tiny copper beads and copper spiral finish the piece. There is a lovely "secret pocket" on the backside filled with pink and white quartz crystals.

Quartz with gem silica druzy framed in silver and gold fill wire. Apatite, laboradorite and spectralite wound with meandering copper match the delicate colors in the stone.

An amazing piece of gem silica/chrysocolla with delicate bands of azurite and malachite and a “secret” druzy pocket on the side. It is set in silver and goldfill wire with sea-colored gems including turquoise, chrysoprase, apatite and aquamarine.

Here is what things look like in the process of creation. Lots of mud, noise and surprising discoveries made along the way.

Lovely piece of chrysocolla/gem silica in process, three cabs polished, the best one is yet to cut.

Some pieces created for a recent show.

Parrotwing chrysocolla in mud after slabbing.

Parrotwing chrysocolla, rough, slabbed, and polished.

Parrotwing chyrsocolla resting on a muddy saw.

All the cabs from half of a slab of chrysocolla.

Lepidolite, from rock to slab to cabochon.

A good night's work.

My workshop, a balance of chaos and organization. There's enough of each to maintain focus while providing the occasional surprise.

Three finished pieces of chrysocolla/gem silica in sterling wire with copper, gold and sea-colored gems, chrysoprase, apatite, turquoise and aquamarine. They are laying in the seafoam dried mud from their cutting.

This is where I set up finished pieces for photography and getting an idea of work in progress.

My main workbench with tools, lights and gemstone beads, cut stones and crystals laid out like paint on a palette. Delicious.

My small saw and the Genie. Tools for cutting and polishing and piles of rough in the shelves. This is a noisy and muddy area. I love it...

Ten slabs from Leigh Becker of Eidos polished into 36 stones.

The Crew making backgrounds for the New Living Expo pendants.

Katie, Tyrone, Jada and Allie and all their good work!

Still life in the midst of chaos.

Wow, chaos IS good!

29 stones cut in two days include azurite, lepidolite with tourmaline, assorted agates and jaspers, and of course, parrotwing chrysocolla.

The Genie is a six wheel grinding machine used for shaping and polishing rough rocks into finished stones. Its diamond-coated abrasive wheels range from 80 grit for cutting and shaping, to 3000 grit for the final polish. It has a water drip system to cool and lubricate the stones as they are being worked.

Assorted slabs await polishing.

What text do you want here, Dev?

Each piece is handmade from raw natural colored stone. Large rocks are cut into slabs with a 10” rock saw, then cut into smaller usable pieces using a 6” trim saw. These saws use diamond-coated blades running in water for cooling and lubrication.

The trimmed pieces are then worked on the Genie, a series of six diamond-coated grinding wheels graded from 80 grit (very rough for shaping) to 3000 grit (very fine, for polishing). These wheels are also run with water for cooling and lubrication.

The trimmed pieces are then worked on the Genie, a series of six diamond-coated grinding wheels graded from 80 grit (very rough for shaping) to 3000 grit (very fine, for polishing). These wheels are also run with water for cooling and lubrication.

The finished stones are then worked in wire, creating a custom setting for each one. Sterling silver, facetted gemstone beads, multi-colored pearls are added to match or enhance the setting. All work is done with simple hand tools and 15 years of experience in bending wire, shaping stone and discovering the potential beauty in each rough rock.

The finished stones are then worked in wire, creating a custom setting for each one. Sterling silver, facetted gemstone beads, multi-colored pearls are added to match or enhance the setting. All work is done with simple hand tools and 15 years of experience in bending wire, shaping stone and discovering the potential beauty in each rough rock.