Our Master carver, Lina, comes from a family of carvers. Her grandfather was a Burmese Jade carver in the early 1900’s. Lina has been carving since she was a young child, starting with wood and soon migrating to beautiful stones such as Canadian Jade, Alberta Petrified Wood, Amethyst, Rose Quartz, and other crystals and stones. Lina designs and carves all our signature pieces.
Lina currently lives in the Greater Vancouver Area, where her studio is located. While she carves our larger (signed) pieces, her apprentices carve each of our smaller, or unsigned, carvings. Lina trains her apprentices in her personal, unique style of carving, which utilizes as much of the natural stone as possible to create a truly unique bear. This is a direct contradiction to standard stone carving methods, which utilizes an “assembly line” method of carving, where each bear will turn out exactly the same as the one before. Because of Lina’s method, each apprentice is tasked with creating something unique with as little stone waste as possible, which teaches them to problem solve and really utilize and cultivate their own creative methods.
Whenever possible, Lina sources Canadian stones for her carvings, including Jade sourced from across British Columbia, and Alberta Petrified Wood, two of her favourite materials. Star Marble, Rhodonite, Hematite, and Sodalite are also used when available. She believes that if a carving reminds you of a place, the stone should be from there as well.
Each piece is truly one of a kind and all are inspired by Lina’s time in the Rockies. May you enjoy your carving, as it is a beautiful artist piece, and a lasting memory of your time in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.
Rose quartz is a pink colored semi-precious gemstone. The pink color is caused by traces of manganese or titanium and will range from a light to dark pink color. The stone makes beautiful jewellery once it has been cut and polished. It is also used in massive form to make candle holders, and it may be carved into unusual shapes by expert craftsmen.
Agates formed millions of years ago during volcanic eruptions. The volcanic lava flows left cavities filled with gas. As the flows cooled, the cavities allowed mineral bearing solutions to enter and the combinations of theses solutions along with heat, pressure and millions of years allowed the agate to form. Agates are found as geodes first; the stone must then be cut or sliced to see the beautiful colors and patterns inside. Agate is said to strengthen the body and mind and gives a sense of courage.
