The "Father" of my artisan jewelry career

In a Father's Day tribute of sorts, I would like to thank Doug Harling for being the "father" of my jewelry career. (I have to put that in quotes because he's not really old enough to be my father.)

Full Measure, 2006
by Doug Harling
22k gold, black coral branch,
padparadscha sapphire
3.5" x 2.5" x 2.25"

I met Doug in the summer of 2003 when I took his granulation jewelry making class at the Penland School of Craft. I was a last minute addition to the class and his was the only one that had openings. (The other ironic part about this is that Doug was a replacement for the original teacher for the granulation class who had been injured in an accident.) Doug is a very gifted jeweler and was on staff at the University of North Carolina at the time. Another neat thing about Doug is that his father is also a veterinarian. We hit it off immediately.

I joked that I was the class misfit. I was the only one that didn't have or wasn't pursuing a bachelor's or master's in fine art. I was incredibly touched that Doug didn't treat me any differently. In fact, the second week of the class, he took every available moment he had to teach me EVERYTHING I wanted to know about jewelry making. It was such an incredible gift, one that I will always be thankful for. There is no way I can possibly repay him for all the knowledge I have gained.

Thank you Doug! I will forever be grateful!