Cutting Color in the Canyons

Multi-talented Wendy Newman of Moab Utah challenges her potential with every jewelry piece she creates. She delights in designing and fabricating each piece, setting and sometimes cutting & polishing her own gemstones. Her designs are animated by lively shapes and textures and bold use of vivid gems...

Colored stones are an important element in my work. I am a lapidary, as well as a metalsmith, and I cut most of my cabachons. I’ve been “rock hounding” since I was a child, and it’s become one of my favorite pastimes. It is always a challenge for me to balance the visual weight of the stone with the complexity of the metal work. It also provides a visual irony between the organic quality of the stone and the industrial quality of the metalwork. This is the balance of my life, hiking in the red rock canyons and working on the computer. >>continue>>