David Ryder:

David’s educational background is in engineering and he creates jewelry and lapidary full-time and works professionally in security as well as .

David’s strength in engineering was “Creative Design” and he takes many of the constructive problem-solving lessons of this course and applies them to his work in stone and metal. David has been using tools from a very early age and is very comfortable with tools and frequently customizes and builds his own for his lapidary and jewelry work as he often did for his work on cars.

David began to seriously pursue his interest in handcrafting in 1998 when he met Cynthia and began to work with her in pewter jewelry casting and Tiffany-style stained glass. With the creation of their own business partnership in 2002, David began working with the design and technical aspects of creating jewelry. In keeping with his desire to not only assist but also to complement, he first created ‘Geek-wear’. He describes it this way: “as a young child ‘working’ in my father’s radio shop, I had formed the idea that those pretty colored electronic components needed to be shown off in a fun and unexpected way.” As an adult, the freedom to work without criticism allows David to bring this idea to fruition and, even though he claims that he failed art class in school, realize that his hands do produce “art” because of the viewers’ positive reactions to his designs.

David now practices the art of lapidary, and cuts many local stones including Bay of Fundy Agates into designer cabochons for use in their jewelry. His desire to educate the public about lapidary and jewelry fueled his need to make and own portable lapidary equipment so that people could see the work being done while they exhibit their jewelry at a show. When in their studio and retail shop they use both a Highland Park and a Lortone Saw and Cabbing unit for cutting and polishing stone.

Collaborative work with his partner, Cynthia, has been shown at the Metal Arts Guild of Nova Scotia’s annual exhibits at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax, since 2004 . In October 2007, they received the Frank Phillips Award for Excellence, and in 2006, they won awards for Best Piece, Gem Stone category and the Touch of Gold Design Trophy for Best Design in Show. In October 2005, an entry received an Honorable Mention in the “All Silver” category. They have also participated in gallery shows in Toronto and Calgary. They are juried and exhibiting members of both the New Brunswick Crafts Council and the Nova Scotia Designers Crafts Council.

David resides near the village of Harvey Station, NB with his wife, Cynthia, his daughter and her cat.

Cynthia Ryder:

Cynthia did not initially train as an artist, despite her strong interest and ongoing independent study in the arts. She received a BA from St. Thomas University in 1990.

Cynthia studied stained glass in 1990 and again in 1991 with a highly accomplished local design team. Her work in stained glass may be found in many area homes and she was the designer and head artisan for the multiple art glass windows and panels used in the 1999 renovations of the Hilltop Grill & Beverage Co. of Fredericton, NB.

In 1995, Cynthia’s work with stained glass developed into a wholesale business, Candlelights and Roses (now Atlantic Pewter), which she was instrumental in establishing in Harvey Station, NB. In this business, she incorporated pewter casting with her stained glassware designs for a line of giftware and produced designs for their line of pewter jewelry. Cynthia left the Atlantic Pewter management team in 2000 but continued to design and consult for them until 2003.

During that time, Cynthia worked with her partner David to develop another jewelry business that would accentuate the use of color in the designs. This change of direction lead to independent study and work in beaded jewelry, lamp-worked glass beads, polymer clay jewelry and wire jewelry. In 2003, their business partnership became ...and now for something completely different… jewelry which builds on their interest in the structure and creation of jewelry constructed primarily from wire and stone. Their work has quickly evolved into precious metal jewelry incorporating gems and their designer cabochons, and jewelry using textile related techniques.

Collaborative work with her partner, David, has been shown at the Metal Arts Guild of Nova Scotia’s annual exhibits at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax, since 2004 . In October 2007, they received the Frank Phillips Award for Excellence, and in 2006, they won awards for Best Piece, Gem Stone category and the Touch of Gold Design Trophy for Best Design in Show. In October 2005, an entry received an Honorable Mention in the “All Silver” category. They have also participated in gallery shows in Toronto and Calgary. They are juried and exhibiting members of both the New Brunswick Crafts Council and the Nova Scotia Designers Crafts Council.

Cynthia resides near the village of Harvey Station, NB with her husband, David, his daughter and her cat.