January has been a slow month for me creatively. Always seems to be that way.

I’m working on a class ring for a Rockland Country Day School graduating senior, in 14K white gold, a pair of earrings to match a necklace I made for a client in December, in sterling silver and 14K rose gold and an estimate for a rolling ring, one ring which moves inside another, which is a challenge because I’m trying to keep the gold cost down for the client, without sacrificing the wow factor.

I bought several pieces of Red River Jasper, a new stone for me, last year at a trade show and am trying to let the stones speak to me about what they want to be, or should I say, where they want to live. They are miniature landscapes with a life of their own and a history of red rock western desert dunes. The stones are so evocative of the heat of the desert, I almost want to cool them down. I imagine water flowing over them. They call for silver, which is good since gold is so damn prohibitive. In silver, I’m not feeling so constrained about size or making errors, so the process is much freer. February is a good month to experiment!