Meet Red Creek Spirit Jewelry's Owner/Designer, Alison Miller

"The love affair I have had with red creek jasper started suddenly and completely unexpectedly.  In 2008, when I was living in Colorado Springs, a friend of mine told me she would be driving up to Denver to attend a big gem show that Saturday and asked if I would like to join her. Having never made jewelry (and, having been recently discharged from the Army, I didn't even really own much jewelry), I had no idea what a "gem show" would be like, but I figured I'd tag along.  Well, let me tell you--if you've never been to one of these shows, you should go at least once, because it is an amazing experience.  Walking into convention center and looking at the ocean of gemstones in every color imaginable is like getting swallowed up in love.  It'd delicious and thrilling and, yes, completely overwhelming.  At one of the tables way in the back of the convention center were these incredible stones that looked like someone had poured Vermont's October foliage into them. That was it--I was completely smitten.  With no experience whatsoever, and no real idea what I'd do with them, I ended up with a whole bag of these stones.  Later that week, my friend showed me some basic techniques in making a necklace and advised me on some basic tools and supplies to buy.  The necklace I made from the stones I bought that day is something I still have and very much love.  Even though the quality of both my materials and my skills have vastly improved, I still strive to learn new techniques and find better quality suppliers all the time. And while I have a pretty substantial array of gemstones, my true love with always be the autumn-hued red creek jasper."  --Alison Miller, July 2022