Last weekend we rode the motorcycle to the Annual Gem & Mineral Show in Sedona to purchase some ammonite, beads and polished stones to embellish my horse sculptures.  There were the usual booths featuring geodes, crystals, rocks in all colors, shapes and sizes, harvested lovingly from the earth.  My husband, Monte, was asked, "What do you collect?".  He answered, "I don't collect anything."  The "rock-hound" stared, mystified by his reply.

The booth which way out-classed them all was Christopher Paul's jewelry.  His exquisite necklaces and bracelets were the end result of rock collecting.  I didn't know there were so many shades of gold, elegantly crafted into a bezel to show off the beauty of blue lapis.  Christopher enthusiasticly explained how exotic peach and white shells were cut to form the beads in his elegant neck pieces.  "I love beads!", he exclaimed.  So do I.