The repairing and restoration of fine jewelry
When repairing a piece of jewelry one of the first things that need to take place it to examine what has been done to the piece already. In this case it includes how the silver ring was made, looking for any previous repairs and lastly to closely examine what has...
Fabricating a new gold wedding ring
The foundation for fabricating a new wedding ring all starts from scratch with the intricate process that sparks the layers of creativity. It begins when pure gold casting grain is melted and alloyed in to 18kt gold. I then mill the new alloyed gold into what is...
Jewelry making workshops
Teaching jewelry making workshops in Bend, Oregon.
A very simple wedding ring
Engagement and wedding ring designs can take on many shapes, forms and materials, but many times as they say in the art world... less is more. By this I mean that many designs today seem to be filled with as much stuff as that shape or form can handle. I have...
A wedding ring begins like a blank canvas
The earliest stages of designing an engagement or wedding ring begins with two simple things, the ring’s size and how wide or narrow my client would like their ring. This is the structural foundation for everything that will follow. This is also where the challenge...
Why I love creating engagement and wedding rings
I got in to making jewelry back in college when I took my first jewelry class at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. I began to realize that I loved making jewelry and over the years I’ve explored many processes and aesthetics as I began to discover my own...
An Unusual Request for Wedding Rings
Over the years I would say that nearly one third of my custom engagement and wedding rings have incorporated old pieces of family jewelry…. Recycling a broken gold chain, a grandmother’s old wedding ring or gold teeth (that were fortunately no longer being used) are...
Wax Carving and Casting Workshop
On October 21 & 22nd I will be offering a wax carving and casting workshop from 10am-6pm in my Bend studio. The workshop will focus on projects with carved bezels for larger gemstones. The first day will involve various wax carving processes with the casting and...
A wedding ring thank you note.
I got in to making jewelry back in college when I took my first jewelry class. I began to realize that I loved making jewelry and over the years I’ve explored many processes and aesthetics as I began to discover my own voice as a craftsperson and a designer. Nearly 40...
Recalling the past for a new wedding ring design
creating unique engagement and wedding rings
Stone setting workshop at the Creative Side Jewelry Academy
Stone setting workshops for diamonds and other precious gemstones.
Spring engagement ring
Thinking of tying the knot? Now is the time! Surprise the person you love with a one-of-a-kind, hand made engagement ring, that tells the unique story of your love together. Contact me today to begin this journey! #engagementrings #weddingrings #bendoregon #madebyhand...
Creating wedding rings long distance
Most of my work today in creating one-of-a-kind engagement rings and wedding rings is for clients from around the country and even around the world thanks to e-mails, digital images, FaceTime conversations and insured express shipping. This last year in fact I created...
A Platinum Wedding Ring for Christmas
Platinum wedding ring Platinum is the perfect metal for a wedding ring. I had a local client contact me just before Christmas this year when he told me that his wife’s white gold wedding ring had been causing skin irritation on her ring finger. During our conversation...
Sapphire engagement rings: The many colors of sapphires
Sapphire engagement rings and wedding rings are a great option. When most people think about sapphires they picture a beautiful blue gemstone. These amazing stones are often blue in color, but they can also be orange, pink, fuchsia, purple, green and even yellow....
Palladium – The new white metal for unique wedding and engagement rings
Over the past 20 years two things have evolved regarding your options for white metals when looking for a unique engagement or wedding ring. The first is that precious metal prices have gone up a great deal from where they have...
Memories and Thank Yous
Fall has always been my favorite time of the year! Early evenings, golden fall colors, the warmth of our wood stove and the quiet wonder of the first snow of the season are a warm welcome after a busy summer. It’s a time to reflect and give thanks. As we prepare for...
Choosing a Diamond in your Engagement Ring – Part 2; Bend Oregon Wedding Ring Designer
PART 2 - A Well Cut Diamond After the carat weight of a diamond (Part 1 - Choosing a Diamond series), the cut of the stone is probably the most important quality to examine in purchasing a diamond for an engagement or wedding ring. The best cut diamonds give you the...
Ring Stories: Desert and Water Custom Created Wedding Rings
Over the years, I have had the opportunity to create engagement and wedding rings for many people, each with their own stories to tell. One of my very favorite sets of story rings was created for a loving couple both entering their second marriage. When we began our...
Choosing a Diamond in your Engagement Ring – Part 1; Bend Oregon Wedding Ring Designer
When choosing a diamond for your engagement ring I find that there are typically two groups that people tend to fall in to. The first group is more interested in the size of the diamond and the other is more interested in the overall quality of the stone. Both groups...
Designing Wedding Rings from Inherited or Family Heirloom Jewelry – Recycling At Its Best
When a new client approaches me, one of the things we cover in the initial consult is if they would like to incorporate any family heirloom jewelry to reuse and recycle into their wedding rings? To incorporate materials from inherited jewelry is a beautiful and often...