Jewelry Inspired by the Places we Love

“How are mountains and jewelry related? And how do you put your passion for the mountains into the pieces you make?”

“With jewelry making, something that we’ve often tried to do is to capture that same feeling you get when you're on a trail, knowing you have a number of different possible destinations. It’s about keying into the joy in the journey that you’re experiencing. We love being in the mountains, and appreciating those moments in that middle. We just wanted to translate that sentiment into what you feel when you put on a piece of our jewelry that has a mountain [or water, or desert] theme. When you put on that piece, it’s giving you those same emotions that you get to express when you’re out there in the wild. I don’t know, we’re just trying to capture a little bit of the magic of the outdoors, for sure.”

That phrase, “the magic,” is something that both Scott and Melissa returned to consistently in our chat. It’s a theme that seems to be traceable throughout their lives. Scott has had a focus on jewelry for 30 years. These decades coincide with much time spent in the mountains, in deserts, and in the water.

Scott is from the Pacific Northwest. He told me about a formative trip he took with his dad at age 16 in which they summited Mt. Rainier. “I grew up right outside of Seattle, so Rainier was visible on a clear day. It was right there. Always in the background. Melissa and I got to summit it after we’d been married for a bit.”

When I asked Scott about some of the meaningful pieces of jewelry that he’s made, he was quick to point out two topography-based items: One of Mt. Rainier, and one of the Wasatch mountain range in northern Utah. These pieces connect Scott’s past, and his present. He and Melissa live in an area known as the Wasatch Back. Scott’s jewelry studio is there as well. They have raised their three boys in this outdoors paradise. The headwaters of the Provo River run near their home. Access to the Wasatch mountains is, frankly, ridiculous.

Scott and Melissa discussed raising their boys in this place, and the way in which they used the outdoors to connect as a family. I have a couple little ones of my own, and asked them how they keep their kids positive and motivated while playing outdoors. Melissa said, “it’s nice because a lot of these places don’t have cell service. It’s about getting kids to talk --playing games, playing talking and walking games, and storytelling. It’s actually really beautiful.”

Scott jumped in, saying, “You’re moving slow, and you're just together.” Melissa noted that the adventures you take in your own backyard are probably more important than the ones across the world. Scott nodded, and described a Mother’s Day in which the family packed hammocks, a makeshift charcuterie board, and some books. They then set off on a walk down the river. Scott smiled, saying, “we just sat, listened to the birds, and played in the water.” Melissa smiled, and cried.

Scott detailed another family adventure. The two of them, and two of their boys, did a backpacking trip in the Wind River mountains in Wyoming. Their approach was long, arduous, and frustrating. Mosquitoes filled the air. “It was a long day just to get there. We wore headnets. The plan was to fish for dinner, and it ended up being a nightmare. We got up early the next morning, and climbed a peak. It was really hard, but so cool to stand on top, and see the big glaciers behind there, and the kids up there too. It was a long, but good day. The next morning we trekked to a basin --it was magic. We took in the scenery, and played in the water. Finally, the next day, on the way out, we got caught in a storm. We had to run off a ridge, and got hailed on. We talked about bailing altogether, but decided to stick it out one more night. It was awesome. The calm moments after the storm were like magic, you know?”

Scott and Melissa spoke about these mountain memories with deep emotion. The experiences are etched into their minds, and it’s like the landscapes are as well. This expresses the power of Scott’s topography line. It’s simply gorgeous. These pieces are cuts, a map of physical lines in mountain spaces. The mountainous display on jewelry is tremendous. Significantly, these pieces are a personal map of memories, feelings, experiences, and of human connectedness. For Scott, making these beautiful things is a process of “putting a little bit of that feeling into your art, and it doesn’t have to be anything more than that.”

He continued, “it’s fun, because looking down at a piece, you can see the actual ski runs we do, or where you’ve hiked up a ridge. It’s so cool to see it from that perspective.” Each item accomplishes Scott’s goal to convey a simple emotion. “You can make something that has that flow and emotion like in the topography, and Rainier pieces.”

Scott carries himself with a quiet dignity. This way of being is reflected in his jewelry. Scott stated, quietly, “This process is about staying authentic to self. Our lifestyle has imitated art, and our art has imitated our lifestyle. It’s been a symbiotic relationship, and it’s why we make what we make. We’ll go to the river at lunch some days, and maybe I’ll bring a hammer and some metal and bang away. It’s very connected, and it’s all just part of what we do every day.”

Scott’s focus on the everyday evokes simplicity, and emotional connectedness. This is a texture that comes across in his jewelry. These pieces are representative of a symbiotic relationship between him, his family, and the time they spend together in the wild.

Written by Tyler Marshall