My name is Scott Ryals, my wife, Pat, and I own the Opal Negra Mine in Nevada. We purchased the claims shortly after I retired from the merchant marine in 1997. We spend our summers there mining & selling from our shop.
I've been wire wrapping gemstones for well over 25 years. It all started when I ran across my first piece in Port Townsend, WA. It was an antique circa 1830. The whole idea of cold connection jewelry fascinated me.
The distinctive bail you see on my work literally came to me in a dream about a year after I started wrapping. It's copyrighted so if you see it somewhere else it's an illegal copy of my work.
About nine years ago I started cutting my own stones. At first with simple diamond files and sand papers. Today I have a nearly complete lapidary shop (you can never have enough tools).
If you ever find yourself in the vicinity of Virgin Valley, NV., in the summer, feel free to drop by our mill-site, 2 miles south of the no-fee campground.
best wishes,
Scott
You can find my work at our Etsy Store here.
Visit our web site for a ton of info about Virgin Valley and a lot more!
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