Destination: Minnetonka, Minnesota

   From yesterday's visit at over 8,000 feet, we have now traveled far north in the United States and landed at almost sea level (Minnetonka lists at 329 feet). Not only does Minnesota have 10,000 lakes (give or take a few), there are also almost 70,000 miles of rivers and streams - enough to circle the equator 2 3/4 times!

   

   Minnetonka is a suburban city eight miles west of Minneapolis. The name comes from the Dakota Sioux mni tanka, meaning "great water". Minnetonka borders the popular Lake Minnetonka one of the largest lakes in Minnesota. Native, indigenous people have called the Minnetonka area home for some 12,000 years.

               

    Minnesota's craft breweries sell enough beer annually to pay for the entire state to stream Netflix for over 2 years!
 

 

   Deborah Bushinski spent many years as a fine art studio painter and art wear clothing designer in northern Minnesota. Her Tessoro jewelry is an extension of her painting and of time spent in the wild studying natural forms. 

   Nature's patterns are always an inspiration. Her designs are all about texture, color and composition, as each piece is crafted with the immediacy of putting paint on canvas. She  strives to create art jewelry for every day, for every woman. 

 

   Working with a small family owned wood products company in Duluth, Minnesota, Deborah is able to access standing dead Birch trees that are marked for cutting. The bark from these trees is carefully selected for interesting surface features, such as the lichens on the bark that provide the color and texture to many of her designs.

 

   Back in her Minnetonka, studio, the bark is carefully cleaned and stacked under weights to "cure" for 4-6 months before being used. The selection of the specific bark for each design is very important. The bark is then cut or torn into the desired shape and coated with an acrylic polymer sealing the wood, enhancing the color as well as bolstering the natural durability of the bark. Sterling silver or copper is hand hammered to create subtle nuances and irregularities that lend structure and boldness to the designs.

   

   Tessoro's dedication to using environmentally friendly materials begins with harvesting the bark from trees marked for cutting, reducing air pollution as this bark would ultimately be burned at the mills. 

   Their "green" practices continue by reclaiming copper from scrapped car radiators. The copper is torn from the casing, sanded and cleaned prior to ending up Tessoro jewelry designs.