It all started when...
on a Nevada road trip to celebrate my mother’s 70th birthday, I met and became friends with Dean, the claim owner when stopping for gas at Giggles gas station and inquiring about a source for natural Turquoise in a small Nevada town between Reno and Vegas. I had traveled thousands of miles across the southwest in my earlier years of jewelry making (hence the name of he collection – The Turquoise Trail) in search of authentic, natural turquoise I dreamed about using in contemporary designs. I now return to the claim every year to mine, and gather the turquoise I use in this collection with the claim owners.
The pieces in this collection features rare, Natural Blue Moon Turquoise with semi precious stones and are hand fabricated with Sterling Silver, 18kt gold, and 18K gold Bimetal textured with handmade paper utilizing traditionally cut natural* turquoise to preserve its carat weight and value.
On October 24th, 2016, an incredible family said a heartfelt goodbye to Dean Otteson, a wonderful, quick witted, and kind man whom they loved deeply, and I said goodbye to a dear friend. Although I only had the pleasure of knowing Dean for 10 short years, I'm grateful to him for making my "Turquoise" dreams come true,
Dean's family will continue mining the claims, and I will do my best to continue my declaration to make him proud of the legacy he has left us all through my work so his light continues to shine.
Dean taught me everything I know about Turquoise. He has given me the greatest gift of all – the opportunity to fulfill a childhood dream, and he will always be a source of my inspiration. His quick wit, and twinkling eyes will always be missed, but his spirit will always be within my heart and I know he walks beside me everyday.