About the Artist
I’m a retired ICU nurse living in northeast Wyoming, where wide-open spaces, changing skies, old trees, stone, wind, and landscape have a way of finding their way into my work.
I began silversmithing several years ago with my husband, Dan. He was my teacher, my sounding board, and my partner at the bench, as well as in life. What started as something we learned and shared together became something much deeper for me after I lost him. Continuing to work in silver is, in many ways, a way of keeping that part of our life alive.
I’m especially drawn to natural stones with character — unusual colors, patterns, inclusions, imperfections, and shapes that make each one completely individual. I rarely begin with a rigid plan. More often, a stone will sit on my bench for days, weeks, or sometimes much longer until it finally “speaks” to me and I can see what it wants to become.
My pieces are created primarily in sterling silver and copper, one at a time, by hand. I love organic lines, asymmetry, texture, and details inspired by the Wyoming landscape. Many pieces also carry a little story on the back — hand-stamped mountains, trees, moons, stars, grasses, or other small scenes, along with my maker’s mark. Those hidden details are as much a part of the piece as the stone itself.
I don’t want my jewelry to look mass-produced or overly perfect. I want it to feel personal, soulful, and unmistakably handmade — something that celebrates the natural character of the stone and the marks of the hands that shaped it.
Every piece from Oasis Designs is made at my bench here in Wyoming, and no two are ever quite alike.
I also welcome custom work and love creating pieces around stones, memories, ideas, or stories that are meaningful to the person who will wear them.
For me, jewelry is more than adornment. It is a connection — to stone, to place, to memory, and especially to the life and love that first brought me to this craft.
Here’s What Copper Jewelry Is Telling You
When Your Skin Turns Green
- By Matt Caron
Copper could easily be considered one of the world’s most popular metals. An essential mineral since ancient times, one of the major “ages” of humanity is named after a copper alloy- namely, bronze. Copper and its many alloys have played an essential role in many civilizations: from the Egyptians, to the Romans, Greeks, and even all the modern day cultures use copper in a nearly limitless capacity. Without a doubt, utilizing copper is one of the most important technologies ever developed by humanity!
From the Big to the Little
Copper was highly prized for its use in creating weapons and tools, but over time it also began to be used for something unexpected. Royalty is always interested with the rarest and hardest-to-find materials, so it makes sense that they’d be interested in pure copper’s unique properties.
This eventually developed into a love for copper plates, cups, furnishings, and jewelry. As this obsession with jewelry and unique metals deepened, it eventually became widely known that copper had some uncommon healing abilities.
Healing
Wearing copper has several important benefits.: Copper is an essential mineral for humans, and wearing copper jewelry has the benefit of slow copper absorption- perfect for proper assimilation. It’s also been claimed that headaches, arthritis, joint pain, and zinc deficiency can be effectively treated with the aid of copper or brass jewelry.
Of course, there is some conflict with these claims, but I have experienced joint relief myself from using copper jewelry.
The Green Skin
So if copper is considered healing and has been used for so long in human history, why is it that people have learned to live with green skin? After all, wearing something like a copper bracelet or anything else that’s in close contact with the skin sometimes produces a greenish hue- which is kind of strange, right?
Actually, it’s totally normal. Copper reacts naturally with our salty skin, which can be created whenever we sweat.
This just means you have to be aware of when you might be working out or in the sun. But copper can also react to acidic environments- and your body acidity is related to your diet. Junk food, processed food, and lots of red meat will make your body acidic. The more acidic your diet and body, the more likely you are to get sick.
This can make copper jewelry a terrific way to gauge whether or not you need to change your diet or if you’re just on the cusp of coming down with something. It can be very useful!