Matt & Lauren Tuggle share a mutual passion for jewelry and they have created a modern take on traditional design, where color and contrast play an important part and influence the direction of each piece. They’re inspired by patterns and architecture and place an emphasis on contrast and negative space in their designs. They enjoy creating one-of-a-kind pieces and focus on the emotional connection that each of their clients has with their pieces. No matter the reason, each piece of jewelry crafted has a wonderful story to go along with its creation. The beautiful and plentiful stories that accompany a treasured heirloom add so much to its value. Tune in to hear more about Matt & Lauren's journey before they got into the craft of jewelry, how they met each other, the process behind their Big Reveal piece, and much more.

Nick Noyes is a fine jewelry artist who is inspired by antique jewelry and ornamental hand-engraving. Nine years ago he started making jewelry as a hobby because he loved creating and working with his hands. From the beginning, he fell in love with the alchemy of metal work and he strives to make jewelry that catches the eye and brings people back for a second look. Through refined stone settings and intricate hand engraving, he works to create pieces that make you rethink what wearable art can be. He crafts unique engagement rings and wedding bands. He loves blending the mediums of hand engraving and metallurgy to continue the process of unique and handmade craftsmanship. Tune in to hear more about Nick's career prior to becoming a fine jewelry artist, how he uses social media and other digital marketing platforms to promote his work, the process behind his Big Reveal piece and much more.

Gerardo Gonzalez is a fine jewelry artist whose work explores the relationship between mechanical/kinetic mechanisms, certain human motions, and the human responsiveness to rings. As used for their respective function, the mechanisms he uses to operate under human power to complete the content of each piece. These pieces embellish the devices that humans have developed over the course of time to create machines or tools that simplify our everyday lives, such as screws and pulleys. He incorporates them as a vehicle to develop the connection between the functionality of a ring and the interaction that a person may have with it. Tune in to learn more about Gerardo's journey as a maker, how he uses the hand as a canvas when crafting his pieces, and the process behind his Big Reveal piece.

Steven Manchini converges art with science, and his creative vision unites with thousands of hours of technical mastery. At the intersection of these threads, Steven weaves an ever-expanding web of treasures. He crafts his pieces out of his in-home studio in Salem, MA. He seems to have a thirst for experimenting and playing around with different materials and gems. He thoroughly enjoys bringing joy and amazement through his works as he continues to explore and grow into new territory. Steven honors the other fine jewelry artists that surround him as he learns from them and appreciates the craft they bring to the table as every artisan puts forth their own style. Tune in to learn more about Steven's maker journey, how he crafted his piece for the Big Reveal project and where he wants to go in the future as a maker.

Derek Katzenbach is an award-winning faceter, gem artist, and custom jeweler. Prior to becoming a jewelry maker, he was a marine biology student. Who knew that when Derek visited a local gem show that the craft of jewelry would begin for him. He spent much of his savings at that show, leaving with a bag full of stones but no idea what to do with them. He decided to take jewelry manufacturing classes and learn more as an apprentice in a jewelry store. The owner convinced him to attend GIA, where he completed the Graduate Gemologist and Graduate Jeweler programs. There he honed his skills and learned new techniques.

Paula Crevoshay, the Queen of Color, is known for her one-of-a-kind vibrantly hued creations in a dazzling rainbow of gemstones and enamels. After four years in India in the late 1970s, Crevoshay swopped the paintbrush for gemstones and has not looked back. She has crafted pieces such as a Siamese Fighting Fish captured with mesmerizing precision and diamond air bubbles popping out of its little mouth and a pair of knowing beady eyes. Her work has become a favorite with discerning collectors as well as museums around the world. Tune in to learn more about Paula's journey before getting into the craft of jewelry and throughout her time as a jewelry artist, the process behind her Big Reveal piece, and how the place she currently lives helps with her craft today.

Naomi Sarna grew up in Butte, Montana where minerals, gems, and fossils were a part of her everyday life. Early memories are of being in her grandfather’s store where miners came to shop and learning to do many types of handwork. Now she is an international award-winning jewelry artist. After careers as a caterer, psychoanalyst, and medical hypnotist, Sarna went back to her roots. Sarna left Montana and attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia, where she studied sculpture and the art of fabric draping. She studied gemstone faceting, which taught her about light reflection in gemstones with Bernd Munsteiner and metalsmithing with Heikki Seppä. Tune in to learn more about Naomi's maker journey, the process of how she crafted her Big Reveal piece, and what the jeweler community means to her.

The first artisan to kick off the Big Reveal series with the Maine Mineral & Gem Museum is Matt Fischer. Matt started his jewelry career in late 2013. The jewelry scene at the time had created so much drive and inspiration for him. He started with wire wraps and showcased his work at Phish shows which tremendously grew his clientele. Towards the end of 2017, he started making his transition into metal fabrication. This has been his full-time career for the last three years. He continues to push himself as a jewelry designer and artist every day. Tune in to learn about Matt's past before getting into the craft of jewelry, how he wound up being where he is today, the process behind crafting his piece for the Big Reveal project, and much more.

In October 1972, near the top of Plumbago Mountain in Newry, George Hartman, Dean McCrillis, Dale Sweatt, and contract miner Frank Perham unearthed North America’s most magnificent single discovery of gem-quality tourmaline crystals–more than a ton in all. The discovery sent shockwaves through Maine and around the mineral world. Never had such a large quantity of world-class tourmaline gem rough been found in a single locality in North America. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of this incredible find, the Maine Mineral & Gem Museum chose twelve artisans and jewelers across the nation to use the historic gem (randomly chosen by the museum staff) in a piece that speaks to them. Kristan Vermeulen speak with Maggie Kroenke, the Store Manager of the museum, to learn more about the museum and its presence in Maine, the Big Reveal & Find project, and the event that will be taking place in October. Kristan will also be launching a ten-episode series where she interviews nine of the twelve artisans and jewelers from across the nation to learn more about their journey and how they took their assigned piece of tourmaline and turned it into their own masterpiece.