Perry Brent Davis

A multitalented sculptor who is redefining the limits of stone sculpting.

Perry Brent Davis brings together the dazzling world of gemstones with his refined sense of form and his uniquely expressive ability to expand the use of the medium. In this scrupulous undertaking, he is the only sculptor in the USA working with certain gemstone materials. He creates a truly unique art form with the powerful impact by bringing out the vivid color and intricate patterns in the gem materials.

Perry has developed a new expression in the sculpture of gemstones. He has chosen this challenging medium for both its dazzling natural hues and intrinsic value. The process begins by hand selecting each specimen of gemstone for its vibrant color, mineral content, and dramatic variation in patterns. His creative styles range from abstract to deco, nouveau, and surrealistic forms. Each creation is a signed original, not reproducible and therefore unavailable in replication or limited edition series.

By their very nature, these minerals are technically complex and require the use of a vast array of diamond tools and other equipment. Unlike working with alabaster or marble, gem materials rarely occur in extremely large, virtually flawless pieces with consistent hardness and grain throughout the stone. The gemstone materials selected typically have two, three or more minerals of varying degrees of hardness, requiring both a high level of technical ability and articulate workmanship.

This fresh new art form accentuates the realationship of sculpting to painting. The painter takes the pigments, which originally came from stones and have been crushed, pulverized, mixed up with chemicals and then applies them to a two-dimensional surface. Perry's gemstone sculptures bring forth the vivid pigments in their natural state to create a three-dimensional painting encapsulated within the sculptural form. The distinction is that this materal isn't formed by adding, but by taking away—to reveal the contours within the multidimensional landscape.

"The revelation is in working with gemstone materials, nature's finest examples from the mineral kingdom. Historically throughout the world, all cultures have recognized the value of gemstones. I feel very honored to have the ability to choose the finest materials from across the planet, revine their forms, and reveal their beauty, thereby introducting them to people in a way that they might not otherwise experience or appreciate."

Perry Brent Davis is not new to the world of gemstones. He is a graduate gemologist with three decades in the gem and lapidary fields, posessing a variety of skills and comprehensive knowledge of the properties of gems. Perry has created a prolific portfolio perviously in jewelery and now in sculpture. Due to the vast popularity of his work, inventories are difficult to maintain. He is pioneering the crossover from the gem, mineral and lapidary trades into the fine art world and has indetified an eager and receptive market for his work.

Professional History

• 1980:  Graduate degree in gemology from the Gemological Institute of America, Santa Monica, California.
• 1981 - 1994:  Gem setter for custom jewelry stores in: Georgetown, Colorado; Copper Mountain, Colorado; Silver Plume, Colorado; and Idaho Springs, Colorado.
• 1994 - Present:  Gem Setter, Sculpture & Jewelery Studio, Idaho Springs, Colorado.