Meet the Maker
Hi there!
I’m Katherine, owner and creator of Animas Glow Studio.
How did all of this start?
I grew up in Whitehouse, Ohio, but in 2007, I set off for Durango, Colorado, to attend Fort Lewis College, where I studied art and business to earn a degree in 2010. I made great friends as I fell in love with the mountains, climate, and spectacular scenery. Here is where I knew I would lay down my roots and stay.
In high school, where I was fortunate to have a great art department, I began my lifelong passion for silversmithing and bead-making. This creativity continued as I pursued my art degree. After I graduated from college, I used my business degree to establish myself in the corporate world and became firmly entrenched in the Durango community.
Crafting my passion
Then, in 2018, I sensed a need to re-acquaint myself with jewelry making so I took a refresher silversmith class at the local gem and mineral club. That single class revealed to me how much I had missed creating art and started me on my current passion of creating unique, quality, one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry that reflect my love of the mountains, the Southwest colors, and the fascinating gemstones I first learned about as a child and teenager when I camped and hiked out west.
Within a year, I had transformed a bedroom in my house into a studio, and bolstered by friends and family for whom I had crafted some initial pieces, I took that all-important leap. I quit my corporate job and decided to launch Animas Glow Studio full-time, investing both time and money to get it started (just before COVID rocked our world).
Inspiration from nature
Those who view my work and consider a purchase should know that I have a deep appreciation for the beauty of nature, especially the changing vistas I see every day, and in the stones and metals I use, and how I incorporate that as I craft each piece meticulously with care and love. Drawing inspiration from the stunning landscapes around me, the blue skies Colorado is famous for, I infuse my designs with Southwest mountain charm and clear running river delight.
I handcraft each item in small batches so that no two pieces are exactly alike. I embrace both traditional techniques and contemporary design elements to achieve a harmonious balance between timeless elegance and modern allure. As I learn new techniques and experiment with rare gems in a novel setting, I hope you come to love the pieces you purchase as much as I loved creating them.