The Artisan Behind the Wheel

Long before I ever stood behind a diamond saw, I was a young boy digging fossils and rough stones out of the dirt. That fascination with the earth’s hidden history never left me. It became a lifelong pursuit, and I have spent my entire adulthood hunting, collecting, and studying specimens.

While geology was my constant companion, my professional journey was built on a foundation of highly disciplined, hands-on work. It began at seventeen with a four-year tour in the United States Coast Guard, where rigorous discipline and meticulous attention to detail became second nature. Following my service, I spent twenty years as a chef and restaurant manager. In a kitchen, you live by your knives and your deep respect for raw ingredients. You learn quickly that you cannot rush a recipe, just as you cannot rush a raw stone through a flat lap. Both require patience, a practiced eye, and an exact sequence of techniques to bring out a masterpiece.

After two decades in the culinary world, I transitioned into information technology, spending another twenty-plus years diagnosing and repairing complex hardware and software systems.

Today, operating out of my studio in the Twin Cities area, my lifelong love of rockhounding and my professional background have finally merged. To stay deeply rooted in the craft and community, I am also an active member of both the Minnesota Mineral Club and the International Gem Society. The same patience required to troubleshoot a server or balance flavors in a kitchen is now applied to mapping a fractured agate or identifying a piece of seafoam jasper. By combining modern diagnostic tools with a lifetime of geological curiosity and old-world craftsmanship, I ensure that every specimen is handled with the exact care its unique history requires.