Western Rock Creations Hand-Crafted Jewelry Inspired by Nature

Looking for more options for the horse people on your gift lists? Take a look at Western Rock Creations. Marietta personally makes hand-crafted jewelry pieces – necklaces, earrings, bracelets, anklets and boot bracelets – that are inspired by her favorite outdoor places and activities: horses, the desert, forests and American Indian designs.

“I have been horsey and outdoorsy all my life. I couldn’t find jewelry that reflected the west that I could afford so I started making my own. As a child my mom took me rock hounding frequently. She is my inspiration as she created the want, the drive and the passion of finding rocks.” explains Marietta. “My mom can see the beauty in a rock. Her best trick is to spit on the rock to see what colors will come out when polished. My dad could find beauty in everything too. He would say, ‘There is beauty in everything. You just have to look for it.’”

There is beauty in everything. You just have to look for it.

With her parents inspiring her to discover beauty in rocks, Marietta has gathered many unique rocks, pendants, and silver horse ornaments over the years. She takes these treasures and pairs them with other stones or bone beads to set off the special piece. “I like to balance and contrast the colors in the main stone with the stones in the chain. I try to create something simple that will set the main piece off and make it a piece that can be equally at home setting off a t-shirt or a dressy outfit.” says Marietta regarding her designs. “Each one of my pieces is unique and one-of-a-kind. If you see something on the website or at a craft fair that you like, you can’t wait as there won’t be two of them!” You can also have her custom-design a special piece for you.

Most of her pieces are stones of Turquoise and Jasper. “There are many variations in color in both of these stones.” explains Marietta. “I also use Tiger Eye, Onyx and Spiny Oyster which gives me the bright colors of orange, red and purple.” She then contrasts these stones with bone beads and other stone beads in neutral earthy tones. Recently she has done some wire wrapping of unique stones (making a pendant out of the stone) and creating a necklace featuring the wire-wrapped stone. “These pieces sold rapidly!” she exclaimed. Marietta will also be learning to do some silversmithing so she can make her own spacer beads and other things.

Marietta spends as much time as she can outside and especially enjoys riding her horse on the beach. She is a SLO County native who grew up in Morro Bay and graduated from Templeton High School. She appreciates the traveling and rock hounding she got to do while growing up. “My mom, who is 95, still goes out to our rock collection occasionally. She takes a rock and saws it open. She rubs oil on it or spits on it and just enjoys its beauty. She is still an inspiration to me. She keeps me going.”