Jewelry of importance becomes family heirloom
One of the truly amazing things about creating custom jewelry is that on occasion I am invited to design and craft family heirlooms that are significant to a family and their evolving history. Currently I am creating a pendant for a young couple to celebrate the birth...
A more affordable white metal for your wedding rings.
If you are thinking about a less expensive engagement ring or wedding band in a white metal I would suggest looking at continuum silver. Continuum silver is a fairly new silver alloy that can be heat hardened to about the same hardness as white gold. This option...
A very special Christmas engagement ring
On occasion I am invited to create an engagement ring for a good friend and I can’t tell you how happy I am to be a part of such an important time in their life. This past December I was asked by my good friend Tyler to create a surprise engagement ring for his...
A sterling silver moonlight ski
It can be a powerful thing to donate jewelry that I have created for a cause that I believe in. This last month I created and donated a special sterling silver and yellow sapphire pendant for Virginia Meissner Snow Park’s annual fundraiser. Virginia Meissner is...
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...