Sara's GEM. March 26, 2025

November 23, 2025

Things are Blooming at Poppy Studio

Things are happening at Poppy Studio! I’ve quietly been hosting some private classes and lessons, and as I’ve done so, I’ve discovered additional tools and equipment I need for the space. So, take yourself shopping!

15% off all in stock jewelry (discount automatically applied at checkout).

Mama needs a new pair of scissors….and pliers, files, jewelers saws, drill bits, dapping block, burnishers, bench pins, bench block, gloves, masking tape…well, the list goes on and on!

The most exciting news is that I had the absolute honor of hosting my first Guided Experience Making Jewelry (GEM) at the studio.

It was absolutely delightful, and I’m astounded by the locket that Sara made! It was getting dusky as we finished up, but even with the darker photo, you can see how gorgeous this piece is, with an Imperial Jasper set in sterling silver, a cast forget-me-not flower floating above the blue/green stone.

As I grow into the new studio space, I’ll be scheduling more GEM retreats. And as the snow turns to mud, then dirt, then grass, I’ll be in the studio more often! In the mean time, you can find me there Thursdays and Fridays from 11–4* starting April 3.

Friday April 4th is “First Friday”!
I’ll be open until 6 and will be available for a studio tour and demos.

If you have some basic jewelry skills but don’t have the space or aren’t ready to make the investment in jewelry tools and equipment, you can book Bench Time in the fully equipped elm harris studio!

This gives you full use of the space, including a dedicated jewelers bench with hand tools, saw and a flex shaft, as well of use of tumblers, CabKing cabbing machine, and more!

And of course, I’m always DELIGHTED to book a GEM session with you. Read more about the experience below!

What exactly is GEM?

GEM is a deeply personal, collaborative jewelry-making retreat designed to help you create custom pieces that embody emotions, memories, or significant life moments. Held in my Vermont studio, this experience is not a traditional class — it’s a two-day guided journey where together we will create a piece of jewelry touched by your hands and heart.

Whether it's a locket, reliquary, or something else you dream up, together we will create a beautiful keepsake infused with love and personal significance.

Participants can engage as much or as little as they like in the process, with my guidance every step of the way. The goal is to create a tangible representation of a memory or emotion that serves as a lasting, meaningful talisman.

This experience is especially helpful for those processing grief, loss, or life transitions, offering a cathartic release through creation.

Sara approached me to create something to honor her late husband. Though they were divorced when he died, they share a son together, and she wanted a way to memorialize and remember him with love: the love they shared — the love that bore this sweet boy.

We started with a poem and a stone.

Words he penned early in their love, enamored by her blue green eyes:

I’ve watched the stars and seen the past
and all the shadows their light has cast
into this heart that rarely warms
two oceans blue
sometimes green
a gateway rarely seen
mind me not
when I stare in
It warms my blood
and heart again

The stone chosen for its ocean blues and greens.

They’d gotten married. They had a son. They got divorced. The relationship was complicated, but they were working on it for the sake of raising their son.

And then, unexpectedly, her ex husband died.

Though the relationship had ended, there was love. There was a history, and losing someone, even when you are no longer together, is devastating. The loss was profound and made all the more difficult because there was no funeral, no gathering in grief — no “closure”.

At the end of this weekend, Sara put the locket on, and with tears shining in her beautiful blue green eyes, she said: “I feel like I finally have closure.”