jewelry from MBoot Designs

by Cynthia & David Ryder

... and now for something completely different... jewelry

PO Box 364                         Harvey Station, NB                    E6K 3W9

506-363-3906

andnow at mboot.net

www.mboot.net

There is beauty and eon’s old mystery in our own back yard. That is the story that we tell with our work that focuses on the designer cabochons that we cut from the colourful rock of the Bay of Fundy.

The Fundy basin is home to some of the oldest exposed rock found in Eastern Canada. It is rich in fossils, minerals, the crypto-crystalline quartz formations of agate and jasper and some lovely examples of amethyst. It is with great delight that we venture out in search of new finds that nature exposes annually with the spring thaws. These small treasures are very rough and often dull mud-covered chunks, but the real joy is in uncovering the gorgeous colours and patterns inside a seemingly worthless rock that has been trapped in a volcano’s basalt for hundreds of millions of years.

The first cut into the rock with our lapidary saw is the most exciting; it is at that moment that the hidden mystery is exposed. The colours, the banding, the small bits of druzy and occasional larger mineral crystals of the rock come to life on the diamond polishing wheels our equipment.

The jewelry that we make using our cabochons is completely handcrafted by us, one at a time, using precious metal wire and sheet stock in both our soldered and cold work. The jewelry that incorporates stones or gems is strongly influenced by the shapes and textures of the stones as we work to accentuate their natural beauty. We have found that textile techniques such as knitting, crocheting and weaving often provide wonderful accents to the stones’ settings.

We both have the necessary skills and understanding of our lapidary equipment and of the tools and techniques used in our jewelry design and construction to do any job required at any step of the process. These skills also allow our clients to work comfortably with us in order to customize stone and jewelry to their specifications.

Our collaboration has provided us with an exciting environment that keeps creativity flowing. We hope that this, combined with our skill and patience to expertly execute our intended designs, shows in the unique and beautiful pieces that we present and that our jewelry will continue to engage our current collectors as well as attract new visitors to our work