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.(See last photo)
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SAINT THERESE:
Only having lived such a short life (At age 24) & was often called "The Little Flower" or the "Saint of the Little Ways", where she believed in doing the little things in life with great love. She is represented by roses & is the patron saint of florists, foreign missions, loss of parents, priests, and the sick (particularly those with tuberculosis). Saint Therese was named the patron saint of foreign missions in 1927 by Pope Pius XI. Her Feast Day id October 1. You can learn more about this saint by googling her name!
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THE RING:
Appearing to be more like a painting in sterling, this Saint Thérèse retablo ring was taken up a notch, being so gorgeously displayed in a 1-3/4" tall rectangular shape, where Kathy used the Saint for the center & then built an abundant of beauty around her. The crosses, the roses, the hearts, beading & all else, are cut & shaped by hand & then soldered to a oxidized base.

The face sits on a tri split shank,where each of the 3 shank wires has a different stamped pattern. To protect the wires, a stamped sheet of sterling sits on the undersides center.(See photos 8,10,11) Instead of being bare with no design whatsoever, if you zoom in on the backside of the ring, you'll see how the underside is dremel etched with floral swirls that depict flowers & has 2 hearts (Both sterling & copper) & a rose swirl that have been soldered to the underside. Everywhere you look, you'll see nothing but beauty & art!!!!

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.