about

my name is jill sullivan. color makes me smile. my mom has long told me of my preference in my early coloring years for the bright, generally less-admired crayon colors. of course, my box of crayolas didn't have the exciting, fancy names of the crayons today. there were lots of names like green-yellow, red-orange, blue-green, violet-blue, etc. but to me, they were exciting. apparently i believed that everyone and everything should be adorned with colors as that of the most brightly and variously colored parrot of my imagination. and so they were. and i suppose so began my love-affair with color.

gemstones have intrigued me for many years. i am amazed at the gifts nature gives us. take the right combination of chemicals, at the right temperature, at the right pressure, for the right period of time, and you have beauty. we try to duplicate what nature does, and we are getting better all the time. we can synthesize gemstones quite well now. a synthetic gemstone is indeed that gem material, both in chemical composition and in crystal structure, but it is man-made, not natural. we also alter gemstones in various ways for different reasons, such as altering the color or improving the durability. i believe it important to disclose these treatments and to disclose any synthesis, therefore you will notice that i include a note in the description of sullivan's butterfly jewelry when i use treated material or any synthetic material.

in the mid-90s, i pursued courses in gemology through the gemological institute of america, currently headquartered in carlsbad, california, and received my graduate gemologist certification in 1997. i thoroughly enjoyed the study and searched for ways to express my appreciation for gem materials and my passion for color. in addition, for a number of years, i have enjoyed sewing. i love the textures and colors and the many possibilities. as a child i spent many hours wandering amongst the bolts of fabric and perusing the pattern books while perched high on a counter stool at the ben franklin five and dime downtown. my desire to find an outlet for these interests and the great fun i have with them inspired the creation of sullivan's butterfly. that, and the encouragement and loving support of my wonderful husband!

and this is wendell sullivan. with a background in steel construction and employment for many years in the marine and offshore industries, wendell has turned his skills toward artistic pursuits and is now hand-fashioning forged steel items for jewelry, accessories and home decorations. we are pleased to offer on the sullivan's butterfly website, items from the sunflower mountain forge "artifacts" collection, by wendell sullivan. we are offering rugged pendants for necklaces, bookmarks and keyrings of christian symbols, with more items to be added in the future. check out the smf artifacts page under HIS grace to view our offerings. all of the pieces have been coated with a finish seal lacquer or quenched in oil which should protect the items under normal conditions. one should avoid exposing the items to chemicals or acids, for example repeated exposure to bathing or swimming in treated water or salt water will shorten the life of the finish.