Our Youngest Jewelry Designer

One Tuesday while "Gramma" (Sue) and "Pa" (Steve) were multitasking as babysitters and jewelry shop owners, their three-year-old granddaughter Daisy was entertaining herself with a notepad and pencils during the weekly staff meeting.

Celtic design must run in the family, because Daisy certainly takes after her grandfather! Her doodles and scribbles formed a "rustic" interpretation of a Celtic cross. Steve knew right away he needed to recreate this moment in sterling silver as a family keepsake. We also have insider information that the Easter Bunny is considering bringing Daisy a cross pendant inspired by her design. The interpretation of her design in silver was just too sweet to keep to ourselves so we added it to our website too!

Steve's first Celtic cross (age 11) - wax resist in crayon and India ink, January 1969

Steve drew his first Celtic cross (left) at age 11. Steve's Grandmother Walker had just been on a trip to Ireland and brought Steve a book about Celtic art, which was his first exposure and got him very excited about the style. The family then moved to Andover where the art teacher, William MacCrea, taught Celtic art as part of his curriculum, which was very rare in those days. This "wax resist" was done in crayon and India ink at Steve's first art class with MacCrea in January 1969.

About the Author

Stephen Walker has been handcrafting Celtic jewelry in Andover, NY since 1984. His journey into Celtic art began at age 11 and deepened under the mentorship of William MacCrea.

Learn more about Stephen & Susan Walker →