Wednesday, May 3, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
New shog is a lure for rockhounds
By Kadhryn Godsiff
Correspondent
For the rockhounds among
us, Nature’s Bling on South
Elm Street (across the street
from U.S. Bank) is a place
to meet others of a similar
ilk. It’s also a great place for
those who like to let some-
one else find the stones,
preferring to run their hands
through already polished
rock, likewise searching for
that perfect specimen.
The store has rocks and
gemstones from around the
world for sale and on dis-
play, with owners who have
knowledge and passion for
the Earth’s treasures.
Marc and Jennifer Taylor
and their sons Quentin, 10,
and Michael, 3, moved to
Sisters in February. They
brought their expertise in
rocks and minerals with
them, having honed their
skills at a shop in Yachats,
Oregon. Marc is a self-
confessed “rock nerd” who
spent his boyhood searching
for beach agates, putting his
rock collection on display at
school. He is a hands-on guy
who learned as he went, lis-
tening to experts and looking
at a lot of rocks. His eye is
now experienced enough to
ascertain where many stones
are sourced just by looking at
them.
Jennifer is a book-learner
who is currently studying for
her certification in gemol-
ogy from the International
Gemalogical Society. The
qualification will enable her
to grade the quality of gem-
stones in the store, and cus-
tomers may also bring their
own stones in for assessment.
The family travels for sev-
eral weeks each year, sourc-
ing their stones. They work
directly with several mine
owners around the world,
making sure the stones are
ethically sourced. Through
an interview process, they are
able to ascertain that proper
safety procedures are used
in the mines and that the end
Hope for a child.
Change for a nation.
$37 a month. All the difference
in the world. Sponsor a child
with a local organization at
HopeAfricaKids.com
Ad sponsored by The Nugget Newspaper.
PHOTO BY KATHRYN GODSIFF
The Taylor family (lefd do righd): Michael, Marc, Jennifer and Quendin.
products are truly handmade.
The Taylors homeschool
their boys, enabling them to
travel and to attend the large
international gem and min-
eral shows in Tucson and
Denver. The boys know their
favorite pieces in the store
and are happy to lead custom-
ers to them.
One of their favorite places
is the Dino Dig, located in the
courtyard behind the store.
For $5, children of all ages
can dig for real fossils, keep-
ing what they find and going
home with a description of
what they’ve found.
Nature’s Bling isn’t just
a place to purchase rocks.
There is a museum feel to
many of the displays, none
of which are behind glass.
On the back wall is an entire
jaw of a prehistoric dinosaur
called a Monasaur, sourced
from Morocco. Estimated to
be between 85-115 million
years old, it was discovered
by a Moroccan paleontologist
and acquired by the Taylors.
It is available for purchase,
but most customers will be
content with gazing at a per-
fectly preserved piece of
ancient history.
There are giant crystal for-
mations, gems, rare finds and
more among the 4,000-plus
items in the store. All are able
to be touched. Prices are set
at close to wholesale due to
the Taylor’s ability to work
directly with the sources.
Local and Northwest art-
ists have gemstone jewelry
and art pieces on display.
And if directions to prime
rockhounding spots are
needed, the Taylors can help.
They know of many acces-
sible places that aren’t very
far from Sisters. Nature’s
Bling is located at 208 S. Elm
St. and can also be found on
Facebook.
23
Sisters author honored
for garenting book
Local author Edie Jones
has just been recognized
as an IPPY Award Winner
for 2017 in the 21st Annual
Independent Publisher
Book Awards for her book,
“Raising Kids with Love,
Honor, and Respect: Recipes
for Success.”
She received the Silver
Medal in the Parenting
Category. This is no small
recognition as this year’s
contest drew 5,000 entries
from the United States,
Canada and around the world.
“Highlighting Books from
Around the World, Sharing
Ideas that Can Change the
World” is the goal of the
effort.
The IPPY medal-winning
books will be celebrated on
May 30, during the annual
BookExpo publishing con-
vention in New York.
Jones has received addi-
tional honors including a
Gold Award for the Family/
Parenting division of the 2015
Living Now Book Awards and
a first place in the “Parenting
& Family” category of the
2016 Best Book Awards. The
Seattle Book Review gave her
book 5 out of 5 stars.
“Raising Kids with Love,
Honor, and Respect: Recipes
for Success” is laid out to
make it easy to find infor-
mation for a specific age. It
is an interactive book, offer-
ing “recipes” to be tried with
each chapter. Readers are
also encouraged to cut out
the duplicate set of recipes
in the back of the book to
make them handier to use.
Since every child is differ-
ent and each environment
is different, no one resource
can cover every single situ-
ation. However, Jones’ book
has practical advice that can
be used in some way with all
kids.
Jones earned her M.A.Ed.
from Oregon State University.
Her foundation for success
with kids is “give them lots
of love when they need it and
(leave them be) in-between.”
She has practiced this in rais-
ing her four accomplished
children and in her other
activities owning and running
a summer camp for children,
working in the Girl Scout
movement, or being a driving
force behind “Together for
Children” for 21 years.
In addition to writing this
first book, Edie is also a free-
lance writer for The Nugget,
the Bend Nest and the blog “A
Fine Parent.”
I Draw Dreams For Inventors
INVENTION HELP
Product Designing using computer aided design
CAD manufacturing fi les – 3D printing, CAD/CAM
Virtual Prototypes • Patent Drawings
Marketing Materials & Videos
Brian M Keast • Sisters • 541-588-0661
idrawdreams@gmail.com
www.idrawdreamsforinventors.com
Take Her to
the Metolius to
Relax and Eat
Mother’s Day
— Luncheon —
Sunday, May 14 • Noon
Treat her to a 4-course meal — $35.
And, we’ve got a special menu
f for
orr t the little ones.
Reservations are required
1.800.797.6331
www.lakecreeklodge.com