\u201cJ.B. had a love of rocks, cutting and polishing, and people,\u201d explained his daughter-in-law, Sharon Sanchez. \u201cWhat inspired us was a love of rocks, fossils, and people. Also, it\u2019s meeting all of the interesting people involved in the trade and hobby at major shows and in our store.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carrying On A Tradition<\/h2>\n![\"ShopView\"](\"https:\/\/www.rockngem.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ShopView-300x225.jpg\")
One view of the San Juan Gems Rock Shop.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe late J.B.\u2019s affinity for rock hunting turned into a business that he operated for many years out of a small garage in Dove Creek, Colorado. As good things often do, the business grew and in time the operation required a larger space. The business wasn\u2019t the only thing experiencing growth at that time. J.B.\u2019s 12-year-old son, Larry, was also growing through an apprenticeship with a German master silversmith<\/p>\n
\u201cLarry has always been involved in the family business, except between the ages of 18 and 21. He grew up rock hunting the canyons with his dad,\u201d said Sharon, who operates San Juan Gems with Larry, her husband, and their son, Shane.<\/p>\n
Larry, whose love of silversmithing<\/a> continues to this day through creations of custom silver and gold jewelry, has spent time teaching and inspiring others to find joy in silversmithing. Within a few years of the Sanchez family moving their business to Cortez, Colorado, in 1969, Larry began teaching silversmithing to people living on the Navajo reservation as a program through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Sharon explained. The desire to continually acquire knowledge and expand his skills to better serve customers drove Larry to earn the rank of graduate gemologist through the Gemological Institute of America (GIA)<\/a> and become a master gold and silversmith, and skilled lapidarist.<\/p>\nAs the Sanchez family grew, so too did the direction of the business. Shane Sanchez was introduced to rockhounding and the business through his parents and his grandparents, J.B. and his wife, Gerri.<\/p>\n
Several Paths To A Single Destination<\/h2>\n
The late J.B.\u2019s affinity for rock hunting turned into a business that he operated for many years out of a small garage in Dove Creek, Colorado. As good things often do, the business grew and in time the operation required a larger space. The business wasn\u2019t the only thing experiencing growth at that time. J.B.\u2019s 12-year-old son, Larry, was also growing through an apprenticeship with a German master silversmith<\/p>\n
\u201cLarry has always been involved in the family business, except between the ages of 18 and 21. He grew up rock hunting the canyons with his dad,\u201d said Sharon, who operates San Juan Gems with Larry, her husband, and their son, Shane.<\/p>\n
Larry, whose love of silversmithing<\/a> continues to this day through creations of custom silver and gold jewelry, has spent time teaching and inspiring others to find joy in silversmithing. Within a few years of the Sanchez family moving their business to Cortez, Colorado, in 1969, Larry began teaching silversmithing to people living on the Navajo reservation as a program through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Sharon explained. The desire to continually acquire knowledge and expand his skills to better serve customers drove Larry to earn the rank of graduate gemologist through the Gemological Institute of America (GIA)<\/a> and become a master gold and silversmith, and skilled lapidarist.<\/p>\n As the Sanchez family grew, so too did the direction of the business. Shane Sanchez was introduced to rockhounding and the business through his parents and his grandparents, J.B. and his wife, Gerri.<\/p>\nSeveral Paths To A Single Destination<\/h2>\n
![\"BucketsOfRough\"](\"https:\/\/www.rockngem.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/BucketsOfRough-225x300.jpg\")