It’s always great to see what customers make with my stones. Catharina Demos recently sent me some wonderful pictures of her work; I confess I have a real love for textured metal and all of Catharina’s pieces appear to vibrate with life. It’s not surprising, therefore, that she cites as her inspiration the majestic beauty of nature and wild animals and considers them the greatest expression of her art. In her pieces you can see the twisting lines of a vine, the plump outlines of a cactus, the intricate beauty of a spider’s web. A manufacturing goldsmith for over 21 years, Catharina grew up in Namibia, a place where it is possible to pick up semi-precious stones just by walking in the desert. Now she lives and works in Spain, creating each piece individually by hand. On the left are her silver and pearl rings, reminiscent of plant forms; on the right is her silver and apatite ring inspired by water droplets falling on a weathered stone surface. Although Catharina works often with topaz and aquamarine, she knew that as they got smaller they would become very pale so instead chose apatite for its vibrant colour even in small sizes. If you would like to see more of Catharina’s work, you can visit her website, her Etsy shop, or her Facebook page. If you would like to see any of the stones featured in her designs here, you can find the apatite here and the pearls here.