lots of people ask how we got started making jewelry...lynn started on her birthday in 1988. she quit her job and went to apprentice briefly for a local jeweler after wrestling a while  with the age old question of “will i starve to death if i quit my bread winning job? “ her background of pottery translated well as she was able to apply a lot of the same principles of kilns, chemistry and design in her new medium. lynn had a deep love of stones and had always loved the different colors of gold which she had grown up with in her grandmother's jewelry and wanted to share those elements in her own work. the world of shows was familiar and she started by doing over 20 shows per year and wholesale in other galleries.
susan's education was in design; she pursued not only product design but also had spent a fair amount of time making furniture for the movie industry... she was an art director for a large company when she decided to leave corporate world for a quieter, more laid back life in asheville. she met lynn and jumped right in helping out at shows. after a few months of hanging out in lynn's studio, she realized that she could easily move from large sculpture to small designs and had basically caught the “bug”. within a few months not only was susan making jewelry full time but she was also making jewelry displays for their first retail venture in biltmore village only a block behind where they are now. she also handles all the marketing, advertising, and web site management as well.
in 1997 lynn and susan moved to their present location which was at that time owned by one of lynn's first retail   customers. the two story cottage was in great need of renovation and so 22 gallons of paint later, with a good half dozen friends
helping spruce up the place, they opened on swan street and the rest is
history. both women agree that it has been a fast and furious ride
ever since but one they have enjoyed immensely.
along the way in 2004 lynn and susan realized that they really needed some help upstairs in the studio and set out to interview applicants for an apprenticeship position. lynn recalls they had gone through more than a dozen applications when a young man they knew walked through the door. trevor reis had visited blue a few times and had seen the ad in the local alternative paper.
 his natural love of stones, ability to adapt to new experiences and just a gut feeling made him brave enough to walk up to lynn and tell her not to look any further, that he was the right guy for the job. both lynn and susan liked trevor's confidence and decided to give him a try. four years later they tease trevor that they are still giving him a try, but everyone can see that trevor was a fabulous mix for them. he assists in every aspect of the business from what they call the “grunt work” in the dirty studio...to the cleaner sales floor and this year has made his first ring from start to finish.
and so the three of them have become family...each has their own bench upstairs in the studio at blue and some days you'll even find all three downstairs entertaining the visitors.
our beautiful daughter, amelia (aka amy in the inner circle), makes most of our functional pottery at blue.  she has been making pots since high school, received her BFA in ceramics from UNC-A and actually has been known to make a bracelet or two in a pinch. somehow she got the idea you could make a decent living making art!! imagine that! she and her sculptor husband, hunter, live in lexington, ky but visit often bringing new work and good times. amy also gets conned into helping out at blue so you just might see her when you visit. be sure to visit her website too.
our boy jack
come by and meet them at blue...1 swan street, historic biltmore village, asheville, nc 828.277.2583
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