My first trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico was in 1998 for a conference when I was working as local Project Manager for a national grant. I was so captivated by the place that my husband, Bo, and I went back out for vacation the next year in late November. After landing in Albuquerque, we took the Turquoise Trail route to Santa Fe. As we drove the winding road, I said to Bo, “Those look like snow clouds”. He responded, “You love snow so much that any cloud you see after October you think is a snow cloud!” I continued by saying, “…but this time I can smell the snow…”

I thought this was a beautiful trip until 10 miles outside of Santa Fe when the snow began to fall and it became even more beautiful! It was so pretty falling on the colorful, expansive sights! All the road trips in northern New Mexico were unbelievable. When we drove to Taos, it was another visual feast with mountains, mesas, and the Rio Grande gorge all within a 70-mile drive. I love this drive so much that every time we go back, I stop at the same spots to take the same pictures of the same views all over again. They always look different because the day is different! The landscape in New Mexico is so massive compared to central North Carolina that I felt out of balance the first few days in the vast spaces! But the next morning after arriving in Santa Fe that November, we woke up to 7 inches of snow…a perfect day to shop and look at jewelry and gemstones!

The jewelry in New Mexico is also breathtaking. I cannot continue without gushing over turquoise. My bucket list includes purchasing a Sterling-Turquoise Squash Blossom necklace one day! There is such a variety of jewelry there, from traditional Native American jewelry to modern artists, shops, and galleries full of creative designs, all of which continue to influence my own work.

I bought a few of my first cabochons to set in jewelry in a small rock shop in Santa Fe. I fell in love with the natural red coral stones, which are difficult to find now as harvesting natural coral is viewed as morally questionable and banned in some places. I loved it so much that I started laying out all the stones I wanted to make earrings, bracelets, and pendants for me, my mother, my friends….! However, when the stones were weighed and I was given the total cost of my hope to be purchase, I had to put over half of them back. But I bought enough for several earrings and an extra stone for something down the road (along with one special turquoise stone)!

We’ve driven all over northern New Mexico through the years and another thing that has influenced my work is the petroglyphs and rock art in caves and pueblo ruins. Petroglyphs are pictures cut into rocks and sometimes painted. I love the folk-art feel of the primitive figures. There were warriors and animals and symbols, all scratched into the rock surface, some thousands of years old. Wonderful, preserved art for all to see! I was so influenced by these warriors that I began creating my own interpretation of rock art in my jewelry. My first warrior was a pair of pierced sterling earrings. I also made a primitive animal pendant and hand earrings.

It was not until after I took a cold connection class that I made my first warrior with a turquoise stone, a shield and a spear. When Bo saw it, he said, “It’s a Bibbaglyph”!  My Bibbaglyph designs have evolved over time….they seem to be more stylized now. Regardless, I am often drawn to the core warrior design and cannot get away from lots of my jewelry looking a little like people!!

Every now and then I make something just for me. I made my own Bibbaglyph… with that extra coral stone and the special piece of turquoise from the rock shop in Santa Fe!

Thanks for visting! See you again soon…Bibba