A Treasure Trove of Inspiration
Some materials just get into your bones and refuse to leave.
That's exactly what happened the first time I worked with these vintage ceramics. After that collection, I kept thinking about them... the way each piece felt in my hand, the tiny floral details frozen in the glaze, the little makers' marks that hinted at lives lived long before any of us were here. I couldn't let it go.
So I picked up the phone and called the incredibly talented husband-and-wife team at Deep Well Designs to ask if they'd be willing to cut me an entire custom collection. Just for me. And they said yes.
What happened next is one of my favorite parts of this whole story. They let me go through their collection of broken pieces pulled straight from the ground in Luning, Nevada... a little ghost town that burned to the ground in 1884. I sat with those fragments and circled every single one that stopped me. The ones with the soft florals. The ones with geometric patterns that looked almost Art Deco. The tiny shards that still had enough of a scene left to tell a story. And then the team at Deep Well Designs worked their magic... cutting and polishing each one into a beautiful cab that captured exactly what made that piece special.
When I hold them now, I think about the tables they sat on. The morning tea. The Sunday dinners. The sound of a spoon tapping the side of a china cup, a fork scraping a plate, the low hum of conversation around a table full of people who had no idea their dishes would one day end up in my hands in a shipping container studio in Alaska. You can almost smell the tea if you're quiet enough.
That's the magic of this material. And that's exactly why I had to come back for more.
The Story of Luning: A Ghost Town's Hidden Gems
These ceramics were discovered in the desert in a little ghost town called Luning, Nevada. Once a bustling mining town, Luning was tragically burnt to the ground in 1884. But from its ashes, a new kind of treasure emerged. The husband and wife silversmith & lapidary team at Deep Well Designs, who are as passionate about history as I am, found these remnants and lovingly shaped them into cabochons. Beautifully polished pieces that silversmiths like me get to transform into wearable art.
From Ceramics to Cabochons: The Art of Transformation
What fascinates me most about these ceramics is their history. Some pieces still bear makers' marks, hinting at their origins and giving us a glimpse into a time long past. The dates on these pieces suggest they were crafted at the height of Luning's prosperity, making them not just jewelry components but little pieces of history.
When I hold them, I think about the tables they sat on... the morning tea, the Sunday dinners, the sound of a spoon tapping the side of a china cup. You can almost hear it if you're quiet enough. The transformation from discarded ceramic shards to polished cabochons is a testament to the creativity and craftsmanship of the team at Deep Well Designs, and it's a process that never fails to stop me in my tracks.
Vintage Dreamscapes: A Journey Through Time
That first collection, called Vintage Dreamscapes, was my love letter to another era. I've always had a soft spot for the elegance of that Titanic era aesthetic... the delicate details, the craftsmanship, the sense that every object was made to be cherished. With Vintage Dreamscapes, I wove that nostalgia into every design, adding just a hint of modern edge.
Each piece was crafted from these antique ceramics, some dating as far back as the 1800s, and they were more than jewelry. They were stories you could wear. Connecting you to a rich past while feeling completely alive in the present.
From the Ash: A New Chapter
If you've been following along since Vintage Dreamscapes, you already know how deeply this material got under my skin. I couldn't stop thinking about it. The history, the color, the feel of each piece... it stayed with me long after that collection sold out.
So when the time felt right, I reached back out to the incredibly talented team at Deep Well Designs and asked if they'd be up for cutting me an entire custom collection. And they said yes.
This time was even more special. They let me go through their rough material and choose the pieces that spoke to me. I literally circled every broken shard that caught my eye... the colors, the patterns, the little glimpses of makers' marks still visible after all these years. And then they worked their magic, turning every single one into beautiful custom cabs just for me.
I am so grateful for this collaboration. What they do is so unique and so important. Preserving these little pieces of history that would otherwise stay buried forever.
This year's collection is called From the Ash... and I think you're going to feel why the moment you see it.
Every piece carries the weight of Luning's story. The morning teas, the Sunday dinners, the lives lived around those tables. I think about all of that every single time I pick one up at the bench.
