After years of working in the dental field Cathy and her husband John took a four-year sabbatical traveling and living in the Caribbean, Central America and Mexico aboard their 40 ft sailing vessel Blue Run. The experiences, people and cultures that she was immersed in during her travels shaped and changed her life, tastes and future aspirations. “I fell in love with the local artwork of people in small villages and islands. There is at once a great connection between all people and at the very same time a unique aspect of one life and culture in the art of people around the world” It was then she realized her future work lay in a more creative path.
Upon their return Stateside in 1999, they moved to Florida and Cathy began to look for a new career. A long time family friend in the jewelry business came by for a visit and the idea was born. The friend was certain the combination of a degree in Biology and the very skilled hand work required in dentistry was a natural connection to the world of jewelry. “I grew up in a home filled with rocks, minerals and fossils, the field and love of my father, a science teacher. I had the appreciation of gems and fossils from a very early age.” Since that time Cathy has attended schools of Lapidary Arts every year to learn the many skills involved in taking jewelry design to a high level. She is a member of the Tomoka Gem and Mineral Society and Florida Society of Goldsmiths. She has also completed the Gemological Institute of Americas’ courses on Colored Stone Identification and Grading.
Cathy loves to work with unusual stones and fossils frequently in their natural states. She works with a custom stonecutter to bring her design concepts to life. “I never tire of designing jewelry. It is a joy that I found missing in my previous career. Whether precious gems or unusual rocks and fossils each one is unique and each inspires me even in my dreams.”