About Tatanka Ska Designs

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My path to jewelry making began through curiosity. For more than twenty years, I explored different creative mediums, from fine art to stagecraft and design, learning how materials, tools, and imagination can come together to create something meaningful.

Because I am sensitive to many common metals, I often struggled to find jewelry I could comfortably wear and truly love. Eventually, that challenge became an invitation: if I couldn’t find the pieces I was searching for, I could begin making them myself.

What started with a few supplies and a small workspace at my desk has grown into Tatanka Ska Designs—a return to craft, family legacy, and the quiet joy of creating by hand.

No two stones are exactly alike. I love watching a design unfold as materials come together, allowing each creation to find its own personality and purpose.

Many of my designs are one of a kind, inspired by nature, tradition, and the beauty of the stones themselves. Whether you are drawn to an existing piece or have a custom idea in mind, I can work with you to create something personal, intentional, and one of a kind.

Long before I was born, my Great Uncle Tony was a jeweler who shared his craft with my father, Gary, and my Uncle Greg. Together they formed G + G Designs, creating cast pendants, brass-cut designs, and handcrafted pieces that reflected their creativity and skill.

When the workshop eventually closed, the tools, materials, and unfinished dreams were carefully packed away and stored in the family garage. For decades, they sat untouched, gathering dust and waiting for a new chapter to begin.

Years later, I found myself drawn to those forgotten materials and the stories they carried. Piece by piece, I cleared the clutter, uncovered the workshop, and began building a space where that legacy could live again. I built a new workbench where my father once worked and brought the tools back into use.

Today, Tatanka Ska Designs continues that family tradition from the same Bailey home where three generations of craftsmanship have taken root. Each piece I create honors the makers who came before me while allowing me to carry the craft forward in my own way.

Every piece featured here is designed and handcrafted by me in my workshop. From selecting each stone to shaping the wire and adding the final finishing touches, every step is completed by hand with care and intention.

The materials I use are thoughtfully gathered over time from trusted stone dealers, jewelers, and small businesses I've come to know through my travels and within my local community. I choose each stone for its quality, character, and the story it inspires, allowing every design to develop naturally rather than rushing to create large quantities.

I create in the same workshop where my dad once worked, in the same Bailey home that has been shared by my great-uncle Tony, my father, and now me—three generations connected by craftsmanship under one roof. Although I found my own way into jewelry making, working in this space reminds me each day that creativity has a way of carrying stories forward. Every piece I finish is my way of honoring that legacy while creating something uniquely my own.