First and foremost, find a jeweler you trust. Ask your friends, people whose jewelry you admire. Find a designer who has a good reputation in your community, has been around a long time. That’s just good business.

After trust comes communication. Can you easily talk to this person? Is he or she listening to you? Does she have a portfolio of past work to show you? Start by sharing your wants and desires, your lifestyle. Let the designer guide you to good choices. It’s your jewelry – will you be involved in the process of drawings, wax models, stone selection?

Just as important, though, is someone who wants to understand your personal aesthetic and tastes, and takes the time to explore them. That’s where someone who has earned design awards truly shines, because that’s where their creative abilities join with your desires.

Share your budget and completion date with the jeweler early in the design process so there are no surprises. Gemstone budgets are harder to pin down, but set a maximum that you are comfortable paying; a good designer can search the world, literally, for multiple choices to fit your checkbook. Be realistic, don’t waste your time (or the designer’s) searching for stones you can’t afford.

After carefully learning about your lifestyle and aesthetic, your jeweler will provide a selection of gemstones for you to examine, make sketches of potential designs and will make a wax model for you. Just a hint: always insist on a wax model, especially for a ring, because if you can’t try on a wax model you won’t know how the ring will look, and whether it will be comfortable on your finger. Your jeweler should be willing to modify the wax model to suit your unique needs.

Once the wax model is completed to your liking, it’s time to re-confirm prices and completion dates based on your final choices. After all, your jeweler should deliver a product that you will love, on time and on budget!

Goldsmith on staff? Often, that means settling for one set of skills, a single style or limited abilities whether they are right for your project or not. A good designer has a stable of goldsmiths (sometimes near, sometimes far) with carefully-honed, often specialized experience, equipment and capabilities. The designer can choose the right smith for your project, not whoever is available. Her job is ensuring excellence for your project, not keeping an employee busy.
Yes, it’s a lot to think about, but it’s your personality, your lifestyle, perhaps even inherited gems … so shop carefully for your jewelry designer before you shop for your jewelry!

“Take a Walk on the Wild Side” Drusy and garnet earrings in 14ky. These are sold but I add new styles and colors all the time. Please go to the Jewelry section and click on the earrings. The name for my collection comes from the animal print clothing trend that just doesn’t seem to be abating, and the name drusy refers to the micro crystals on the surface of quartz. Very much of the earth. Lucky us! Be sure to call me with any questions.

This easy to wear bezel-set and pave-set diamond ring was a recycle/restyle project. My client inherited a ring that had two of the diamonds and some smaller diamonds, so that meant I needed to supply just one to match, and a few more small diamonds. I gave her credit for her gold and we made this gorgeous platinum ring for her. It has a squared-off back for extra comfort.

My inspiration for these paintings came from the rich reds, hot pinks, and oranges of rubies and garnets. The accents are from the blues of zircon, tourmaline, and apatite. The blue colors add a pop of neon and dramatic contrast to the reds.

This very clean design has a perfect shape for adding stackers. There are no prongs to catch and is easy to wear…perfect for an active lifestyle.

This painting was also influenced by my studies of Diebenkorn from his early years in New Mexico. He has been a great influence on my work. To see this painting in it’s proper proportions please go to “paintings” or have me email a photo. Thanks!

This is part of the Aquamarine series inspired by the gemstone aquamarine. I used scraping and lifting to reveal layers of paint underneath.

Druzy are mini crystals on the surface of, or hiding inside rocks like quartz.
The black druzy is sparkly and dramatic. The matte surface area of the black quartz and the milky blue aquamarine are soothing and make a wonderful contrast to the druzy.