Meet Our In-Studio Lapidary: Nadine Marshall

My path into gemstones started young, gold panning and rock hounding with my grandma and dad in Southern Oregon, and weekend trips to local rock shows and the Crater Lake Rock Museum. That curiosity turned into a career at 12, when I started faceting lessons at a local rock club after moving to the Tri-Cities, WA. I later earned my Associate’s Degree in Arts and Science and completed the Graduate Gemologist program at GIA Carlsbad, and I still return to the Tucson gem show every year to keep learning and stay connected to the industry.

I have a deep love for U.S. colored stones, built through visits to Montana sapphire, Oregon sunstone, and California tourmaline and garnet mines. As a lapidarist, I see my job as enhancing a gemstone’s natural beauty, not disguising it, letting its shape, color, and inclusions guide the design. I’m often drawn to the geometry found in nature, the symmetry of flowers, stars, and butterfly wings finds its way into a lot of my work.

What I love most is following a gemstone’s full journey, from rough, to faceted, to finished jewelry, to a customer’s hands. Being part of something that marks such a meaningful moment in someone’s life never gets old.

Outside the studio, I’m usually hiking, sketching, or traveling somewhere new, and I have a habit of climbing rocks and trees along the way. I grew up singing with my church worship team and still find a lot of joy in music.

I was drawn to Green Lake through friends at GIA and their mission to encourage creativity and ingenuity in the jewelry industry, and I’m excited to keep growing alongside the gem department here.

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