Sarah Graham Metalsmithing

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People often ask me where I find all the things that inspire our designs. Often the answer is "on the ground"! The Conifer collection is different, though, because it was discovered not by looking down, but instead by looking skyward. Good friends and fellow jewelers Jack and Liz Gualtieri were walking in Crater Lake National Forest in Oregon one day when they were spooked by loud popping sounds. Having just spotted a herd of elk, and having NOT checked to see if they were in the middle of hunting season, they started heading for the nearest exit. The popping noises followed them, and they picked up the pace, until suddenly, with great relief, the source of the sounds appeared right before them. From high above floated down the remnants of exploding pinecones, their seeds and scales spiraling gracefully to the ground. Lucky for me, their first thought was "I bet Sarah would make jewelry out of this," and how right they were.