Mingling with Penguins on a trip to Antarctica

Skiing in Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Buenos Aires, Argentina: One of the many markets I searched for stones in South America.

A Bolivian fortune teller using molten silver dropped in water  to predict the future.  

             Lauren Payne was born and raised in Fairbanks, Alaska. She spent much of her childhood in the great outdoors pursuing skiing, rafting, hiking, horse back riding and camping as well as participating in indoor sports of all kinds.  During Alaska’s long cold winters, Lauren turned to creative indoor pursuits like beading, painting, sewing,

knitting and paper making.

             As a college student at Colorado State University, she

traveled abroad to live and study in Australia and Costa Rica.

She also spent time in the British Isles, Indonesia and Thailand.

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Health and Exercise

Science with a concentration in Health Promotions, Lauren

traveled extensively to South America and Antarctica. Back home in Alaska, Lauren has studied metalsmithing and jewelry at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks.

 

     Her passion for travel has allowed her to gather an eclectic variety of stones, gems and shells throughout her trips, which are transformed through her creative eye into a unique line of  hand-crafted jewelry. Integrating a lifelong closeness to nature, Lauren’s designs reflect her inspiration from nature’s souvenirs of travel and the beauty

that surrounds her native

home.