A Unique Shopping Experience at the Greenbrier's Art Colony Retail Shops - Part 5, Gibson's Gallery, an Innovative line of heirloom-quality accessories of solid brass and precision-inlaid stone.
For the past 30 years, a single compelling theme has been the focus of David and Suzanne Gibson's designs - the beauty of stone. Often working in collaboration with other American master craftsmen, including blacksmiths, stone cutters, woodworkers and graphic artists, the Gibson's have over seen the creation of furniture, jewelry, original boardgames, and mineral presentations seen in no other galleries in the world.
Special - and unexpected - projects in petrified wood, agate and other fine exotic stones are always in production in their expansive art colony studios.
David is a gemologist and Suzanne is a jeweler. While visiting the gallery Suzanne, a bead stringer, was designing and making a necklace for viewing by guests. David is originally from Minnesota and Suzanne from Beckley, WV. They met in West Virginia and have lived in Lewisburg for 30 years.
When you first walk into the gallery there are many rooms with display items from petrified wood furniture, stones of many shapes and sizes, jewelry, and so much more. This part is the main showroom. Going up the stairs you walk by the production areas. In 1990, the Gibson's added this workshop area to the original gallery to have products on site where customers can watch the productivity of item(s) being made.
There are two workshops. Inside is a large workshop area located downstairs with glass windows at the top so customers/guests can watch the work in process. Outside is a cutting area/workshop surrounded by trees that's the perfect setting to work. The outside workshop is where saws are used to slice and cut stones down to shape and cabochon.
Also located in the back of the gallery is the Fine Jewelry Studio where I talked with Marty Schaerer, Master Goldsmith and Sarah Glotfelty, Jeweler. They both work with gemstones from all around the world. Bill Thompson, another artisan in the gallery, makes puzzles using copper and silver.
The Gibson's Gallery represents various art by painters from Moldavi in Eastern Europe, as well as local artists.
Besides the Greenbrier shop, the Gibson's opened a retail store at the Broadmoor Hotel in May 2009.
Gibson's has an innovative line of heirloon-quality accessories of solid brass and precision-inlaid stone. Below are some of the unusual items on display:
This photo depicts a Fly Fisherman's Desk. It is one-of-a-kind work center for the fly tying enthusiast. Quarter-sawn oak, walnut, and African burl with inlaid of Diplomystus dentatus fossil fish; (Green River Formation, Wyoming.) Eocene Epoch, 50 million years old. Priced at $14,500.
This photo depicts an unique accessory item ..... it is part of the original Brooklyn Bridge, Circa 1880. It consists of two pieces.... one of the collars and a piece of the cable from the bridge.
The base of this glass top table is also made from the bridge cable. For both pieces the price is $25,000.
This petrified wood table is from a tree in Arizona, the Araucarioxylon, from the Triassic Period (240 million years ago) Hand-forged base by Jeff Fetty (a WV craftsman) priced at $7,900.
Rockhounds, a new table game
This table game is very unusual. David Gibson started designing the game in 1995 and it was completed in 2009. Rockhounds an original entertaining family board game was conceived and produced in the Gibson studio. There are no plastic pieces, all are made from fine stones and wood. Price for the game is $75.00.
Gibson's Gallery
Artist Colony at The Greenbrier Hotel
300 West Main Street
White Sulphur Springs, WV 24986
Hours 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily
Phone: 304-536-3437
Looking for a gift for the person who has everything, then checkout Gibson's Gallery, you will find wonderful and unique items, fine jewelry and some very unique puzzles.
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This is the 5th of the eight retail stores located at the Art Colony Shops at The Greenbrier. Previous posts:
Joseph Mendel, Furniture Maker
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