'In Good Company'

These individually hand carved Alabaster Gem Hearts are about honoring the Earth, recognizing ourselves as part of the Earth, healing our own Hearts and Heart connections.  To hold one is to feel comforted, cared for, loved.  They remind us that we are part of an infinitely varied, wondrous Universe, that we both, the Alabaster Gem Hearts and us humans and all life are born of the same stardust.

Should I say what’s truly on my mind or not………..Oh, what the heck…….I will……….

For 35 years Paul and I have hand gathered rare colored and translucent Alabaster Gems from the great Deserts of the Southwest.  We climb over canyon walls, pry cherished pieces of rare gemstone out of cliff faces, harvest treasures hiding in secret Earth places.  Just us.  No machines.

This is not a ‘rape of the Earth’ mining operation that rips the skin and bowels of our planet apart for profit.  There is no factory of slaves, over the border sweat shops, abuse of human rights or Mother Earth.  It’s just Paul and me, gathering this rare gem Alabaster and handcarving each piece to reveal its unique and extravagant beauty.

We are about honoring the Earth and making an honest living with our hands and hearts.  We are about the sacredness of life and the gift of the creative process that has captured us for so long.  We are about sharing with others all these gifts that we have received and created.

Alabaster is stone.  It is gem.  It is forever.  Maybe the Alabaster Gem Heart that you purchase for your loved one who passes it onto their children, who passes it onto their children……will last forever too. “Hearts Forever”!

"The Wedding Ring"' - Gemstone Bowl for elegant, Engagement, Wedding and Anniversary Present

According to the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA), a gemstone is defined as any stone that is colorful, translucent and that can take a high polish.  Alabaster is such a rare gemstone.  Beloved for centuries around the world, prized in museum collections showing ancient Chinese and Egyptian treasures, shockingly, Alabaster has been an all but forgotten material in this country!  As Alabaster Master Paul Hawkins says, “we replaced this precious gemstone in our country with industrialism and plastic”. We are reviving this magnificent material known as “The Queen of Stones”.

The moment I saw the diversity of colored and translucent Alabasters on Paul’s show table in July of 1976 I fell in love with it’s elegance, variety and beauty.  Paul and I share a mutual love of this gemstone and have found great joy in bringing out it’s beauty, playing with its possibilities. Our shared service to this gemstone in the name beauty and preserving and honoring this precious material is the something larger than ourselves that has propelled and given deeper meaning to our life – along with our children.

Paul carved this gemstone White Alabaster Bowl that we call “The Wedding Ring”, inlaid it with the rarest of gemstone Orange Alabaster and extravagantly topped it with a magnificent Amythest Crystal onlaid with the finest of Uruguan Amythest crystal cluster.  The piece is 10″ High X 12″ Wide X 10″ Deep.  It would not be difficult to imagine this being the perfect engagement or wedding gift.

Each piece we make is uniquely and lovingly carved for that someone special who will fall in love with it. Impossible to repeat, because each stone has it’s own story,  this original art form truly honors this magnificent Gemstone – Alabaster.