Web Extra: Texas Gems

When Dan and Cathy Brown aren’t taking care of avian and human visitors at the Hummer House B&B, you’ll likely find them fabricating gemstones ranging from topaz to amethyst, which they mount in custom-made rings, pendants, and earrings. Family members created the Browns’ signature facet design—a time-consuming, unusual cut that features a five-pointed star—in 1974, and Dan Brown established the Texas Gems company the same year. The Texas Legislature adopted the “Lone Star” design as the official Texas State Gemstone Cut in 1977.

Interestingly, Dan, who’s a geologist by training, uses three of the same pieces of equipment when he’s fabricating gems or helping band hummingbirds: a loupe, a digital micrometer, and a jeweler’s scale. “Both activities require the same attention to detail and hand-eye coordination,” he says.

For details about Texas Gems, visit www.hummerhouse.com/gems.htm or call (325) 255-2254.

From the June 2012 issue.

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