About Metal-Images and the Parks
Both of us have personalities that tend to shy away from frills and fluff. This probably is why our educational and professional backgrounds are in mathematics and chemistry – areas that are more cut and dried, with right and wrong answers, and more straightforward. This personality trait may be evident in the clean lines, contemporary looks, and geometric shapes in many of our jewelry designs. These designs are often focused around a semiprecious gemstone which shows an unusual color, pattern, or shape. These may include jaspers, agates, malachite, lapis lazuli, obsidian, and many others. Dean creates many of our stones using a diamond saw, various grinding wheels, and finally polishing wheels. Barbara does most of the metal work, with regular help from Dean in the process. The construction technique we have chosen to use is fabrication rather than casting. This means that each piece is individually made, and is unique. The silver sheet or wire (or gold, brass, or copper) is cut using jeweler’s shears or a jeweler’s saw. It is shaped by grinding wheels or files, then textured by roller printing, acid etching, engraving, or hammering. Pieces are soldered together and perhaps a bezel added to hold a stone. The piece is pickled or cleaned in a weak acid, then polished using several stages of polishing powder on a muslin or flannel wheel for a final finish.
We have lived in Mississippi for more than 40 years, and have been making jewelry for most of that time. We enjoy working together in all parts of our life – tackling new projects, traveling to new places, and trying new experiences. So it would naturally follow that we enjoy working together in our jewelry studio. Nearly every piece has input from both of us, and it is always exciting to see the input that the other one brings to a piece in progress. We invite you to enjoy our unique designs and see the beauty of God’s creation in them.