MEET THE ARTIST:

What some do with paint brushes or what others do in sculpting stone,Kathy's medium is creating art in metal form with no 2 pieces of art alike! She is probably one of the most artistic artists that I am more than honored to offer, where each & every one of her pieces literally blow me away!! She is the 'epitome' of a TRUE artist whose jewelry is high in demand since she is highly collectible & has customers aching to get their hands on anything she creates. She has a signature style that is so unique & once you see her work,you will always be able to recognize her work thereafter.

Kathy was born & raised in New Mexico & now makes Texas her home. But regardless of where she resides, she will always let us know through her jewelry that New Mexico still takes up a good portion of her heart & is never far from home,where New Mexico has an vast amount of this kind of religious/devotional art. She is a veteran jeweler & has about 30 years under her belt. You'll find both Native & Mexican influences that are inspired from New Mexico, with many of her pieces having a sweet spiritual theme. They are creations created with a heart full of love & are totally created by hand.

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RETABLOS:

Retablos date back 4,000 years ago (if not more!) & were found throughout the Mexico, the Latin Americas,Spain. After the Spaniards invaded New Mexico in the 1600's, their influence were then seen throughout the state. A retablo is anything on a flat surface (as opposed to a statue) that are generally painted on wood or tin & depict hand painted saints that are painted by Santero's & Santera's ..You can see retablos in the churches of Santa Fe,Santa Fe's yearly Spanish Market & throughout New Mexico.

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THE RING:

Out of the 3 Guadalupe rings I have in stock,this particular one is different for the fact that it has an undeniable "Tucsonian"/Mexican border/Extreme Southwest" feel to it & I say that based on all the Saguaro cactus that are displayed in the ring.

A TRUE piece of art as if to be a painting,Our Lady of Guadalupe is so eloquently displayed in a retablo style that's done in metal form.(sterling).Soldered atop of a darkened oxidized sheet of sterling is an artistic array of hand cut & shaped appliques that surround the Guadalupe medallion as she is displayed in a 1-3/4" tall rectangular shape..

The face sits on a tri split tapered shank,where each of the 3 shank wires have a stamped pattern. On both the outer shank wires there is a "Double Arrow" stamp that represents "Friendship". In the center of the underside portion of the shank is a "Dove in Flight" that adds to it's overall beauty & reminds us to live in peace & love. (See photos 9,11,12) The backside of the retablo is dremel etched which gives texture to the metal & has beading at the top & at the bottom is a Saguaro cactus & a hand stamped "Sun" symbol.

I have 5 rings listed by Kathy (see last photo) with 3 being different Guadalupe rings that all are made in a different size & design. So please check them out in the 'ring" category.