spotlight – Sun Lakes Rock Gem & Silver Club

May 2021 – Artist Linda Murray

Who does not love jewelry? Imagine designing and making your own unique one-of-a-kind pieces. Shown below are some of the gorgeous pieces made by Linda Murray. The lapis lazuli pendant is a piece you can learn to make in the silver one class. A bezel is cut to fit the stone and then soldered to the backing. These stones are cabochons. You can learn to make them in lapidary class at the Club. The design for the copper pendant with a silver tree scene is cut with a coping saw and sweat soldered over the copper piece. The bale is … Continue reading →

April 2021 – Artist Jan Meyers

Delicious free time! What does an artistic and creative person find to fill their time with! Jan Meyers retired from a career in finance and travel in 2010 and was looking for something to grab her interest. She found an outlet for her creativity in glass of all kinds. And she discovered the wonderful opportunities to do this at the Sun Lakes Rock Gem and Silver Club. Her first course was in mosaics and she was hooked. She followed up with classes in stained and fused glass. In her words “Glass is fluid, expressive and filled with color. You can … Continue reading →

March 2021 – Artist Fred Jonasz

The motivation to take up residence in Sun Lakes, like most, was avoiding winter weather and in Fred’s case the hospitality of the Oakwood Murphy’s, relatives whom they frequently visited in AZ. Fred and his wife Gelene have been Snowbirds for 14 years; their permanent residence is Arlington, VA. Fred grew up n Queens, NY where he avoided truancy by attending all required public schools and then onto New York University where he earned a BA degree in Economics. Mandatory Military Service, better known as the “Draft” was in effect in 1953 and he qualified but preferring blue to khaki … Continue reading →

February 2021 – Artist Don Hall

Don Hall was born in California where he met and married his wife Pat. He is the father of three children. He previously resided eight years in Nevada and thirteen in Oregon. Don has spent the last 28 years in Arizona. He retired after thirty-eight years as an estimator/project manager in heavy construction. He and Pat enjoy music, photography and exploring historical sites. Over the years they have collected rocks at gem shows and rock shops; he now incorporates these findings into art and jewelry. After joining the SLRGS club in 2014 he took lapidary 1 class where he learned … Continue reading →

January 2021 – Artist Henry Huss

A Hobby or A Labor of Love? Forty-five years ago, Henry joined an adult class in basic stained glass; nothing complicated, simply enjoying each other’s company. He went on to take other classes taught by experts in their field. One classes was wood framing where he developed the skill of making 18th century ship models from scratch. After finishing his 12th master level model (some taking him 12 months to complete) he moved on to other hobbies. Henry William Huss was born in the fall of 1933 in Lakewood, a quaint winter resort in central New Jersey. He graduated … Continue reading →

December 2020 – Artist Susan Carter

Susan’s last name is Carter Carter. That’s right. Susan Carter married Michael Carter in 1971, thus making her a double Carter. Susan is one of our more seasoned artists, and comes to us from the East Coast where she moved around growing up, ending on Long Island. Art is her major passion, but she was also involved in athletic swimming, running, and now playing tennis. Susan has a master’s degree from Pratt Institute and bachelor’s from Hofstra University, both in New York state. Having spent a summer studying in Tokyo at Sophia University, she developed an appreciation for Japanese art. … Continue reading →

November 2020 – Artist Doug Williams

Doug Williams identifies himself as, “an 80 year old curmudgeon who likes Turquoise and Silver.” Do not for one minute believe it! This man has traveled the world escorting VIP tours in his 36 years as marketing manager for United Airlines. He has been a silversmith jeweler who specializes in Turquoise and Silver since 1965. Blessed to be creative, he fell in love with the look and feel of .925 STERLING SILVER, TURQUOISE and the ART of jewelry in a SOUTHWEST STYLE. Doug took his first jewelry class as an ART major at Colorado State University and graduated with a … Continue reading →

October 2020 – Artist Jim Marquis

JIM MARQUIS was born in Flagstaff and spent most of his childhood and teenage years around that area graduating from Flagstaff High in 1965. He enlisted in the army in 1966 where he attended airborne school making a total of ten jumps, one in the providence of Kom Tum. He served in Viet Nam with the 101st Airborne then on to Ft. Bragg to finish his 3 years. Jim moved to Page AZ for an apprenticeship with the Bureau of Reclamation as a Power Plant Mechanic. His position involved maintenance and repair of mechanical equipment (turbines, pumps, air handlers, rotors, … Continue reading →

September 2020 – Artist Tony Thompson

Meet “The Faceting Fanatic” After 36 years in banking in Northern Nevada, Tony Thompson made the move to Sun Lakes, Arizona. He became a member and a student at the Sun Lakes Rock, Gem and Silver Club in 2014 and contributes regularly as a volunteer instructor and helper in the various shops. He and his wife Judy enjoy much of what Arizona has to offer: the arts, theater, sports and the great weather. They also enjoy traveling and discovering the history of the area. While traveling they always find rock shops to browse through finding material to bring back and … Continue reading →

August 2020 – Artist Vic Hermann

Vic Hermann is our August Artist Who Aspires to Inspire, and he does just that. He discovered his talent in the area of lapidary in 2006 after taking a field trip with the Sun Lakes Rock, Gem and Silver Club with his wife who was a club member. He began by taking a Lapidary I class learning to make cabochons, followed by a class learning bears and bookends. With his creative mind, he dreamed up various techniques to make handles for letter openers and pens. His talents were immediately recognized, and he was recruited to teach his skills to others … Continue reading →

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