Mandy Houpt of Shamanda Jewelry makes guitar-string and gemstone jewelry inspired by her husband, Shaman Houpt, a local musician and geologist.
“I’m a lapidary artist, so I cut a lot of my own stones; a silversmith – I make everything myself; but the best part are my kids,” she said.
“I have my treasure chest of tumbled stones that my kids helped tumble. If kids come by and do a math problem, they get a free treasure rock,” Houpt, a former math teacher said. “Rocks for knowledge.”
Houpt lives in Bayfield and hadn’t been to the Durango Farmers Market before setting up shop. This is her third year at the market.
“I feel lucky to be out here amongst all the fun, little hooligans,” she said.
Houpt’s creations are all handmade and locally-sourced. She gets her guitar strings from Curt Mangan, who has a string business in Cortez that uses American steel. The deerskin lace she uses also comes from the U.S.
“I really like to keep it local, local, local,” Houpt said.
ngonzales@durangoherald.com
