Patricia Twilla

I decided to call my jewelry "Restorative Piddling Creations" because we all have/need/want times when we can keep our hands busy while our minds wander & refresh themselves.  I really like working with natural materials such a pearls, stones from Lake Michigan, & gemstones.  My goal is to provide wearable, affordable, one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry that can be a "treat" for oneself or a gift for someone else.  I hope you enjoy my work and have fun wearing it.

Don Haywood DBA Dancing Tree Studios

Don Haywood is a native of North Carolina and has lived in the beautiful high country of Boone, NC since 1989. As a graduate of Appalachian State University, also located in Boone, he fell in love with the area and knew it was the place for him and his family. Don, his wife Faith and daughter Jessica have been involved in the creation and marketing of jewelry for many years, at one time owning and operating The Stonehinge; A Gifts of the Earth Gallery for ten years. Don also traveled all over the country doing arts and craft shows selling his work.                               

The love of nature and an eye for creating jewelry out of unusual mineral and fossil specimens is the niche Don has created in order to bring the consumer an enhanced appreciation of nature's "wearable art."

The specimens are showcased using sterling silver, gold filled or brass and each design echos the one of a kind patterns created by nature, creating a one of a kind keepsake for the purchaser. Most of the pieces are set using fabrication, a method which incorporates soldering as a major techique. Other methods are metal fusion and design-wrapping as well as lapidary. His work is affordable by everyone, as he has also created a line of specialty glass or semi-precious bead earrings.

Even in his early years Don had always been intrigued making things. At age 15 he was exposed to the art of making jewelry by his brother as he worked with him in Pigeon Forge, TN. When deciding what to study in college jewelry was a natural choice. He earned his BS. in Industrial Arts and Technology in 1980, a degree which allowed the inclusion of a variety of disciplines including jewelry, design, drafting, woodworking, electronics, leathers and ceramics.

Now with 28 years of hands on experience, his jewelry is sold at galleries and craft shows all over the US. Please enjoy each piece as you look at it because the availability of many gemstones are getting harder to find and often no longer available.

Rick Jacquot, Jr. 

Rock, Gem, & Mineral Collecting Sites in Western North Carolina

Richard “Rick” Jacquot was born in Montgomery County, Maryland in 1962, and grew up I Wheaton, Maryland.  As a child he and his father, mother and sister went on numerous camping trips to the mountains of Pennsylvania and West Virginia, this is where the rock hound bug first bit him(actually) back then he was just a rock pup).  Being in prime rock hound territory it was not hard even for a ten year old to find many nice specimens (at least they looked nice to him).  Eventually he had gathered a decent collection.  In 1987 at the age of 25, he moved to the western North Carolina mountains and found work as a truck driver and later a police officer.  Soon he realized he was in the heart of one of the best rock hound areas in the country and the bug bit him again.

Today, 15 years later, he lives in Leicester NC and has put together a large collection of NC gems and minerals as well as specimens from around the country and the world.  He and his son RJ operate “Jaquot and Son Mining” selling wholesale and retail gem and mineral specimens.  They also conduct guided field collecting trips to local mines in the area.  

If you are interested in a trip you can contact him at email address: RJaquot@msn.com