I am a lifelong rock and mineral nerd and I live in the Pacific Northwest. I spend a great deal of time traveling throughout the western states in search of cool rocks to chop up. I particularly love colorful rocks and will also
dig some out of buckets in rock shops, too.

I am a proud member of the Mt. Hood Rock Club where I first learned to cut stone. The objects I make are crafted in my small shop at home. I take large chunks of rough material to cut into slabs on a large rock saw, then the shapes are trimmed out of the slabs on a smaller rock saw. I use successive grits to polish each stone by hand on a rudimentary faceting machine. The process is arduous but rewarding.

The greatest joy of working with rocks and minerals is collecting the material - my "job" is to drive out as far as I can on dirt tracks to canyons and abandoned mines to look for treasure. You can follow my studio work, mineral finds, and flat tires on instagram: @alisonjeancole or sign up for one of my Women's Rockhounding Trips through @wildcraftstudioschool

Allison Jean Coleman