Rock Hounds We Love – Life in the Facet Lane

18K YELLOW GOLD BRACELET WITH TURRITELLA, AQUAMARINE, DIAMOND FRAMED FOSSILIZED CORAL, FRESHWATER BAROQUE PEARL, TRILOBITE FOSSIL, ALASKAN FOSSILIZED CORAL, AND CAMEO; COURTESY PAMELA HUIZENGA

by Diana Jarrett GG RMV

The summit of international gem bazaars occurs every winter in Tucson, Arizona. Dealers, designers, retailers and collectors from around the world descend upon this dusty desert town for a few weeks of raucous finagling and just plain stone love.

What happens in Tucson . . . well it doesn’t stay there, that’s for sure. What happens there portends the next season’s trends in designer jewelry everywhere. And this year it was all about the exotic gemstones. Imaginative Florida based jewelry artist Pamela Huizenga loves those quirky baubles too and she also knows what sophisticated gem enthusiasts crave.

PICKY. PICKY. PICKY

How does she select the stones destined for her alluring collections? “Most of the time I see something that I become absolutely obsessed with, like fossilized coral or dendrite agate, and I know that I must own as much of it as I can find,” she tells us. And on occasion, the creative spirit flows another way. “There are times when I design something and simply know . . . I must find a perfect spinel. Or I wonder, where can I find an amazing carved aquamarine? I am a bonafide rock hound, picking up pebbles on mountain hikes and wondering what can I do with this?”

COLLECTORS & THE STONES THEY ADORE

Savvy collectors are drawn to Huizenga’s exquisite design sense, the original voice she expresses in each piece, and the quality inherent in every Made in the USA item.

The winning combination of chic style and unusual gemstones has created devotees of Huizenga’s work. “I have collectors who have been buying from me for several years. When I see one of them at a trunk show wearing several pieces of my jewelry, I’m humbled.” Discover Pamela Huizenga’s original pieces at Shannon Green Collection–one of our town’s most elegant destinations with artful jewelry for trendsetting collectors.