ABOVE Emory enjoys taking his jewelry to festivals and craft
shows. His grandson Micah has even begun to learn some
of the cabochon techniques. Emory’s pieces are a favorite
among all ages.
grandfather and sometimes helps out at festivals along
with Emory’s sister Jane. There’s always something for
everyone on Emory’s table from bracelets and spoon
rings made from vintage silverware, a new addition to
Emory’s handiwork, to beautiful sets of earrings, bracelets,
necklaces, and pendants some with stones, some with
beads. Kids are always drawn to the Indian jewelry. “I
try to be as natural as I can.” And, of course, there’s the
onions.
Yesterday, as I slipped my new find, an 1876 edition of
Thaddeus of Warsaw, written by Jane Porter I found in
a little bookstore in Doolin, Ireland, two weeks ago, next
to my first edition of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, I
thought about Emory.
“Once you find a beautiful stone native to the earth,
122 Toombs County Magazine
you can’t just walk through the woods anymore,” he
said. “You pay attention. There’s not a lot around here.
We have too much sand. I love my home, but I have to
go out to find stuff. There’s really good amethyst around
Warrenton and Tignall, Georgia, if you’re willing to pay a
little something to search.
“There’s some gold in the creeks around Milledgeville,
too. But people don’t take time to go look for it anymore.
It’s not easy to find. If it was, everyone would do it. What
we do have around here is rivers where you can search for
Indian artifacts.”
Today, Emory has something far more valuable
than a family business to pass on to his children and
grandchildren. As he gathers the earth’s treasures, he
gives voice to the beauty right at our feet. Whether it is
a sapphire, like the gemstone his son Benjamin found
all those many years ago, or a piece of obsidian created
from volcanic glass, Emory’s passion for the earth’s beauty
is a legacy of heart. And that is more valuable than any
material possession he could ever hope to pass on. TCM