Hal and Margie Hiestand
Hal and Margie Hiestand became world travelers after the couple first met in 1969 in Tangier, Morocco. They spent the next thirteen years traveling…North Africa, Europe, North America, Central America. They even sailed the Caribbean. In 1982, it was time for their daughter to begin school—they chose to settle in Santa Fe.
The inspiration for their jewelry designs comes from the cultures they visited on their journeys, the coral reefs and fish of the oceans, and the landscape of the Southwest. They begin the creative process by finding beautiful and unusual natural stones—Tahitian pearls, opals from the Peruvian Andes, kina shell from New Guinea, turquoise from Nevada or China, spiny oyster shell from the Sea of Cortez. Each piece is hand fabricated, including the small shiny balls found on much of the jewelry—a Moroccan talisman to ward off the evil eye. The finished jewelry--dramatic, bold, unique--is a reflection of the Hiestands myriad life experiences.