We took a look under the microscope at gemstones...

Matthew showed them how he solders two pieces of metal together!

and then everyone had a chance to make their very own piece of jewelry, with a little assistance...

The final product... a necklace custom with their very own initial!

I am not sure who had more fun, the preschoolers or Matthew :)

For those who don't know, Matthew and I have two young daughters… Beatrice who is four and Penelope who is just 6months now.  We always figured being girls that at some point they would discover how lucky they are to have a Papa that makes jewelry!  For Beatrice this Christmas will be the year she will be able to appreciate her Papa's skills...

Like many other 4 year old girls, Disney Princesses are her favorites.  She watches their shows, has their dresses, coloring books, pajamas etc.  Sofia the First is one of her favorite of the princesses because she has a special Amulet that allows her to talk to animals.  The one thing she asked for this Christmas was an amulet just like Sofia's!  I knew Matthew could not only re-create this pendant, but make it even better than the real thing.  I sent him a photo I found online and he immediately got to work.  He hand carved the setting and had it casted in Sterling Silver to accommodate the large pear shaped Amethyst. He made sure to include spots for the three blue sapphires at the top and set the sapphires in 14K yellow yellow bezels.   Using a Sterling chain, he added amethyst beads just like the original.  Finishing it up with a real strong clasp to ensure it doesn't get lost!

Needless to say, she is definitely one lucky girl and I fear this is just the beginning of her love of jewelry :)

Matthew is lucky enough to have a career that allows him to combine both his amazing talent and personal passions into many of his creations.  Take this wedding band for instance...

For those who don't know, when Matthew is not at his studio creating custom jewelry for his loyal customers he loves finding a stream or secret spot to get some fly fishing in.  Now, with two kids at his side he may not get as much fishing time in as he would like, but I know there will be a day when he will have plenty of time with a fly rod in his hands again.  

When he had a customer request a wedding band for her soon to be husband that incorporated a fish, he jumped at the chance to create this amazing trout spinning ring.  It is hard to see from the photo, but this ring is comprised of two parts, an inner band and an outer band that is in the shape of a trout, the trout rotates around the inner band to create what Matthew refers to as a "spinner" ring.  

As you can see, Matthew's passion for fly fishing is greatly reflected in this one of a kind piece.  

No longer will Matthew be spending his Tuesday nights behind the bench here at the shop in Shelburne, instead he has been given a great opportunity to teach an advanced Jewelry Making class at UVM!  The University of Vermont has a great Continuing Education program that offers an array of night classes, including many in the Art field.  Matthew welcomes the chance to share his passion of metalwork and jewelry making with students interested in fine tuning their already learned skills.  The class is offered on Tuesday nights from 5pm to 9pm, so apologies if Matthew is a little sleepy on Wednesday mornings :)