Krista Lavonas is a metalsmith and part time pediatrician. She lives in Denver with her long-suffering husband, Eric, who did not realize that purchasing a metalsmithing class as a Mother’s Day gift would eventually require kitting out a studio in their home. Their two kids have become used to the hammering. She partners with local non-profits serving families in the Denver metro area; a portion of sales of her jewelry will be donated to The Gathering Place, a day shelter for women, transgender individuals, and their children. “My first foray into jewelry making was in a bead store in Bloomington, Indiana, in high school. I continued beading off and on and made a brief journey into precious metal clay construction over the next 10 years, but when I picked up a torch at my first metalsmithing class, I was hooked. I work primarily in sterling silver and mixed metal fabrication and enjoy using techniques such as etching, keum boo, and roll printing to explore the contrast of color in gemstones with textures in metal. Each piece is hand-made and therefore unique.”