Author: Artist Rafi Perez

There came a time where I simply turned a blind eye to all ambition that truly meant something to me. I filled that void with a false sense of accomplishment. I had a lot of shiny pieces of paper in frames that symbolized my status in the business world. I think everyone at some point realizes that they are wearing blinders when the unhappiness starts to take over. This piece symbolizes the day the blinders came off. It started with a simple thought, “If I could be successful doing something I hated, how could I not be successful doing something I love?”

Every once in a while you realize that the only obstacle that could ever stand in your way is your own mind. If you believe something is difficult and a struggle, then it will be difficult and a struggle. When you believe you are unstoppable, then you truly become, unstoppable.

I think at some point everyone reaches an end to what ever miserable time they’ve been having in life. This piece symbolizes the moment I let go of all the perceptions I had that kept me in a dark cycle.

There’s a stillness felt under a midnight sky full of stars. You almost feel like if you are still enough and look long enough, you’ll be able to feel the turning of the earth and see distant galaxies. Whether we’re talking about this beautiful starlit tree standing in the quiet night, or you as the observer of it… There’s peace there. It’s meant to make you exhale and just feel.

I’ve always said that for me jewelry is so much more than just a pretty adornment. It’s personal to the artist that creates it, and it’s personal to the wearer. Pieces like these can be mementos for significant life events, daily reminders or mantras, a way to remember a loved one and so on. Sometimes I know the story of the person I’m creating it for, sometimes I don’t… But when I’m creating these pieces, each part of the process is with deliberate intention, love, and acknowledgement that every person’s story is an important one.

Fluorite is a stone of clarity, peace and order. It often forms in these beautiful octahedron shapes, which in themselves is a good representation of the divine order found in nature, or sacred geometry.

I wanted to capture the freedom and joy that I’ve often felt under a big open sky and bright warm sun. Whether I was on an adventure or just taking a walk or a drive (it’s all an adventure), the feeling of being surrounded by the open sky makes you feel like there’s unlimited potential and absolute possibility.

Rainbow moonstone are among my all time favorite stones. The most intriguing ones look like you’ve literally captured a rainbow in a piece of crystal. It’s a stone of joy, clarity, and well being.

Montana moss agate is truly astonishing. It shows fantastic landscapes within the stone, often depicting the type of landscape it originates from. It blows my mind that a stone from the Rocky Mountain region could have a tiny mountain landscape within it. This one made a perfect backdrop for my tree of life series.