There鈥檚 a special sense of accomplishment John DeLong feels whenever he creates a new piece of silver jewelry from his work area.
鈥淚 can work with my hands,鈥� he said.
鈥淚t gives me satisfaction at the end of the day.鈥�
DeLong and his wife Sue own and operate DeLong Studio on Williams Avenue in Trout Creek, where they create and sell quality sterling silver jewelry with precious stones.
John DeLong started creating jewelry when he moved to Summerland in 1990, but his love of art and jewelry goes back much further.
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His mother taught fashion and design in Philadelphia and his sister works as a silversmith.
From his workroom on the property, he cuts the stones to use in the jewelry pieces, while Sue DeLong manages the shop. She also does leather work and some jewelry design work.
鈥淲e鈥檒l design the silver around the stone,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e cut the stone first.鈥�
Each winter, the DeLongs travel to Tucson, Ariz. to attend the Tucson Gem Mineral and Fossil Showcase where they seek out and buy stones for their jewelry.
While they are constantly looking at new trends and designs, the jewelry they create and sell tends to be more conservative, with classic and timeless designs.
鈥淲e like to have tried and true pieces that last forever,鈥� he said, adding that many of the pieces are one-of-a-kind or limited editions.
The most popular items in the store are the many earrings, but the studio also carries other jewelry including necklaces, rings, cuffs, belts and many other items.
Their customers, from the Okanagan Valley, Alberta and the Lower Mainland will seek out the studio when they are in the area and many have come back again in search of more jewelry.
Many of their customers come to the studio because they have heard about the DeLongs from friends and acquaintances.
And at times, the DeLongs will see people wearing jewelry they have created.
鈥淚t鈥檚 neat to be out somewhere and to see a piece of ours,鈥� Sue DeLong said.
Most of the jewelry they make is sold from their shop and online at delongstudio.com, but some is also available at Thornhaven Estates Winery in Summerland.
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