I was an early member of the Planetary Society, joining in 1980 or 1981, I believe. In 1997 my maiden name is one of the 100,000 Planetary Society member names that were placed on a “microdot” on the Mars Pathfinder.

I have always had a fascination with astronomy. I was born just a few months before Sputnik started the space race and grew up as JFK pledged to "put a man on the moon" by 1970. In 1969 I got to see Apollo 11 lift off at Cape Canaveral. We pulled over on the road across the bay just in time to see the lift off and watch the rockets separate and then disappear into the vivid blue sky. In the next few days we were glued to the TV to see the progress and watch Neil Armstrong take the first human steps on a foreign world.

Now that I'm a jewelry artist, I immediately fell in love with a triangular Rhyolite stone pendant I found at a gem show. It has a wonderful rectangular matrix with round solar system-like inclusions. It took me a while to come up with a beautiful way to frame it in .999 fine silver. I just finished it today!

As you look at the pendant, your imagination is filled with visions of an awakening universe.

Out of the blackness of the primordial cosmos the boiling baby universe is birthing in nebulous clouds that are condensing into proto-galaxies. Infant stars spring to shining light and another spawns a planetary system. A baby star is perilously close to an emerging black hole which is devouring everything in its path. Meanwhile, we discover the back side has ancient weathered stone hieroglyphic markings in a spiral pattern.

weight: 73 gms (49 gms is .999 fine silver. Note, some tiny decorations may contain other metals)
height: 63 cm (~2.5 inches)
width: 52 cm (~2 inches)
depth: 14 cm (~.5 inches)