This page is dedicated to Rose Marie Christison.
August 8, 1928 - June 7, 2018
To those of you who knew her, I urge you to contact me at bchristison@yahoo.com and share any photographs and stories you may have of Rosie and her jewelry.
In 1976, Rosie caught the jewelry bug. She took an Adult Education Class in Jewelry Making at Hinkley High School in Aurora, Colorado.
“After I began taking Adult Ed Classes in Metal Arts under the tutelage of Roger Rydberg in the late 1970's, I found myself creating original works of art in sterling silver and precious stones. I continued to take Mr. Rydberg's class for another 8 years, and when he decided not to teach his Metal Arts class at Hinkley High School anymore, I applied for the job. Not holding any real credentials in SilverSmithing, I told the principal at Hinkley High School that I could probably teach the class. I was hired and taught the classes for another 15 years!”
“During the period when I taught SilverSmithing at Hinkley High School, I also became associated with The Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu New Mexico and took 7 years of classes from Roger Wilbur who was a renowned Santa Fe Channel Inlay artist and the finest instructor I could have ever had. After 5 years of his instruction, Roger decided not to teach at Ghost Ranch for awhile, and I was asked to assist with some Channel Inlay classes, eventually teaching Channel Inlay, Lost Wax Casting, Advanced SilverSmithing, and PMC (Precious Metal Clay) until, I too, decided to stop teaching there in 2008.”
“Always interested in improving my art, I have taken many classes from several very fine instructors including Roger Wilber, Harold O’Connor, Michael Boyd, Phil Poirier, and Travis Ogden.”
This is a photograph that I found in Rosie’s archives. This is her using her lapidary trim saw at the Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu N.M. Photographer unknown.
Rosie’s love of precious stone took her all over the southwest. To Tucson for the Bead shows and to Santa Fe for the blue corn tortillas and to the Ghost Ranch to teach. She loved the Indian Market in Santa Fe and drew inspiration from the artists there.
She frequented the bead shows in Denver, where she became interested in the beading arts, and later became a member of the Rocky Mountain Beading Society.
Always on the lookout for a good deal, Rosie amassed quite a collection of semiprecious stones, both finished and rough. What Rosie failed to mention in her quotes above, was that, in the process of learning channel inlay, she became a pretty fair lapidary artist as well. Most of her creations contain bespoke cabochons that she cut and polished herself.
“Jewelry is my passion, so in the early 1990’s, wanting to take my hobby to the next level, I decided to form a business. Rosie's 'Riginals was born.”
This is Rosie displaying some of her work at the Naja in Denver Colorado in 2016.
When she moved to her house in South Denver in 1999 she converted her two car garage into a teaching workshop and began to seriously expand her business called Rosie’s ‘Riginals. There she created her own original pieces and continued to teach Jewelry crafts until her death in 2018.
Rosie identified herself as an artist, but she was so many other things. A Native of Colorado, she was rewarded with an emergency teaching certificate during World War II to teach elementary school in Cheyenne County Colorado. This experience would influence the rest of her life. Over the next 70 years she would teach whatever she was involved in, including First Aid Instructor with the National Red Cross, Ski Instructor at Loveland Basin ski area, and of course, her passion for wearable art.
Below are some (but not all) of her fantastic creations…
Thanks for visiting Rosie’s Page. Hope to hear from you!
Pins
Bracelets
Ear Rings and Combinations
Rosie's page updated December 10, 2020