Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1364218
SHOW & TELL Among them is Hunter Cook, a 23-year-old metalsmith who designs and creates exquisite turquoise-accented copper and silver jewelry from her home studio 15 miles outside of Belt. Hunter's artwork is intrinsically Montanan – straightforward, unencumbered, and naturally stunning. e Oregon native, now the wife of a rancher, first became interested in the artform of metalsmithing while she was examining a pair of her husband's spurs back in 2015. "at was the first time I'd ever really noticed the detailing in the silver, and it really caught my eye," she recalls. "I thought it would be really interesting to figure out how to make something plain into something prey." e aspiring artist took her first jewelry-making and basic metalsmithing classes the following year at a local community college in Texas, where she was living at the time. "at taught me the basics on how to cut silver, how to solder, and how to cut a stone," she explains. "Since then, it has really been trial- and-error!" Hunter also gained knowledge by researching other likeminded artists' styles and techniques, to include taking an engraving class from Diane Scalese, a Master hand-engraver who has taught hundreds of students throughout the world. Diane's exquisitely-detailed functional artwork even earned her a place in the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 2018. "She is amazing," Hunter says. Aer relocating to Belt in 2019, Hunter set up a studio in her home for the first time and dove into honing her cra. e endearingly humble artist was nothing short of stunned by the community's response to her business, HC Silver. Not only have customers flocked to her website and social media pages to check out her latest work and to place orders – they've been buying up everything she's made as quickly as she can turn it out. Without a doubt, her most popular pieces are custom-made rings featuring her customers' livestock brands. "When I built my first brand ring, that's when my business really started to gain momentum," Hunter recalls. "And since I've learned to engrave now, I can really work with customers to customize it to their style using not only their brand, but flowers, scrolls, and other designs." One customer who purchased a custom brand ring from Hunter later told her that she had shown the piece to her grandfather, who teared up and became very emotional over seeing his family's brand adorning a shimmering, wearable work of art. SiG MT SiG MT 35 Tools of the trade sit at-the-ready. A view from the artist's perspective.