Featured Artists

The Gem Shop is proud to feature lapidary artists who create extraordinary art that highlight and celebrate the beauty of the mineral world. Our artists this holiday season are wire wrapper Jennifer Damrow, lapidary craftsman Jake Rankin, and artist Michael Duncan.

Jennifer Damrow resides in Madison, Wisconsin as a full time jewelry designer and owner of Exclusive Inspirations. She works with her partner, Evan Radant, to create unique designs from their hand-cut gemstones. Each gemstone is hand selected and/or collected and cut by both Jennifer and Evan. Each is carefully selected for beauty and artistic allure. Jennifer uses Argentium Sterling Silver and 14/20 14kt gold filled wire to create her one-of-a-kind designs. All of her stones are unique and come from numerous locations from across the globe! Jennifer and Evan are fortunate to be able to work closely with the owners of gemstone mines to bring you the best selection and prices in the Midwest.

Jake Rankin is a lifelong stone enthusiast from Oregon, who began cutting and polishing rocks in 2002. His passion for all things lapidary has led to a growing collection of fine agates, jaspers, and petrified wood. He also spends parts of his year travelling across the states to rockhound and collect material for his own collection and to share with other enthusiasts. In addition to his slabs, specimens, and cabochons, Jake's expert craftsmanship is displayed in the stone-handled knives he creates.

Michael Duncan is a retired scientist living in Maryland. He has always been interested in rocks, minerals, and geology. As a child, he lived in Montana and collected Montana Agates along the Yellowstone river with his parents. As an adult, he has continued collecting in many parts of the US and even in Morocco, dabbling in lapidary work on and off during the years. Now partially retired, Mike has finally found the time to truly explore his creative mosaics, shown here. He still enjoys going to the rock and mineral shows, especially Tucson, to find interesting stones to include in his pieces.