This article is from the BARN News archives, and was originally published in November 2014.
It didn’t take long for Robin Callahan to realize that she was a jewelry-maker at heart. “The second I started making my first piece, I knew this was what I’ve always wanted to do,” she said.
Her first jewelry-making class was a Mother’s Day gift from her children. It was a Beginning Jewelry class taught by Jane Martin earlier this year. From there she went on to take Jane’s Intermediate class at BARN, where she made her first ring.
Since that first class just six months ago, Robin has created a line of large, single-stone rings that has attracted eager buyers from the Island and beyond. Her first ring was made as a donation to a Kitsap Humane Society auction, and the many inquiries she received after the auction convinced her that there was a market for her creations. Each ring has a tiny paw print on the back side, a reflection of the fact that Robin donates a portion of the sale price of each piece to the Bainbridge chapter of the Kitsap Humane Society.
The BARN community has helped her at every step. In addition to Jane Martin (“We’re so lucky to have Jane as our teacher,” said Robin), BARN members all help each other learn. When Robin wanted to start working with gold, BARN member and teacher Anne Bulmer-Brewer came in on her own time to help Robin get started. “We all help each other,” Robin said, “We problem-solve together – it’s the only time in my life I’ve experienced such a cooperative environment.”
“I’m just so thankful for BARN,” Robin said. “We all are.”
