Unique, artistic designs by Kristen Vasques.
I began Gems From Faraway Places in Toledo, Ohio in 1992. It's a combination of two of my favorite things, Art, Travel and ancient civilizations and artifacts. My degrees are from 2 universities in Ohio, one in Art and one in Art & Foreign Languages. During my junior year I spent five months in Florence, Italy where I learned Italian and got to mingle with and explore the culture and its wonderful artifacts. I was hooked on travel and exploring! As for education, I also hold a certificate in Early Childhood Education from the Waldorf Teacher Training Institute. It's a wonderful way of teaching that places an emphasis on arts and creativity, among other things.
In addition to travels throughout Europe, Mexico, and Canada I've also traveled through the 50 United States including five years spent in Hawaii, touching in with the South Pacific and the vast things that have gone on there in the ancient past. My exploration of other exciting places around the world include 3 weeks in Nepal over the summer of 2000, and two fascinating trips to Egypt with author Gregg Braden inn '97 and '99. The first trip to Egypt included 2 stops in Greece, which was another fascinating ancient land for discovery. On each trip Gregg was able to gain us special access into private and secluded places. To an explorer like myself, this was so exciting! It included access to the interior of the Great Pyramid for 5 hours, an opportunity not normally open to the public. What an adventure!
The designs in my collections were influenced by these travels. Some of the gems and artifacts I use are from these wonderful faraway places. To discuss any of these items, I can be reached by email at GemsAndBeyond@aol.com. I'll be happy to design jewelry for your own collection.
Photo: me & Ari (which means "Light" in Egyptian), my sweet 5 lb. Maltese. I named him after my first trip to Egypt. How we found each other is another intriguing story of improbable "coincidences", showing how much this connection was meant to be. As it turns out, the Maltese is an Egyptian breed, from the isle of Malta north of Egypt. (See the story of our meeting at the end of the Photos page.)
Some of my Journeys
I LOVE travel and discovering ancient faraway places. Egypt is my favorite (but then again I also LOVE Greece, Tuscany, Nepal ...). I've been to Egypt twice, as of 2003, and I'd love to return. There's so much to explore, and the place evokes such wonderful feelings!
My travels abroad began in '74. I spent 5 months living in Florence with Ohio University. I traveled a little to the British Isles & throughout Europe at that time too. Europe gives me the ambiance and feeling of stepping back in time to the Middle Ages. Such gorgeous Medieval castles and towns everywhere! But when you go to Egypt, it's like nowhere else on Earth. You step back in time THOUSANDS of years B.C.! It's an amazing sort of "transporting" experience! I've also been to Greece and Nepal. They're both ancient and fascinating lands too. And beautiful! Each of my trips is filled with elements of timelessness - ancient memories and experiences surface in detail, like motion pictures.
The photos above are:
Left: Me and my 'buddy' Horus :o) at his temple on a special island in the Nile called Edfu. I had always longed to go to the temple of Horus, and was so incredibly excited that we made it there on my second trip.
Right: An ancient and intriguing stone archway in the Great Pyramid. It really seems to beckon you inside, doesn't it?! The night we arrived on my first journey there, we were staying in the wonderful Mena House Oberoi. It's just enchanting! - the nicest Cairo hotel - used to be a palace. Most special of all, it's the only hotel that's right next to the Giza Plateau! I remember arriving in the hotel room after a LONG overnite trip across the Atlantic. I dropped my bags in the room and went out onto the balcony to take in the night air in Cairo. To my utter amazement I stood frozen - lost somewhere in an ancient time. THERE, in all its majesty and monumental strength was the great pyramid! This mysterious doorway seemed to be gazing out at me, beckoning me.
Strangely, I felt "transported" to a different time and plane. In that moment-out-of-time I heard the perplexing words, "Welcome! We've been waiting for you!"
I stood there in silent amazement. Energies and thoughts seemed to whirl around and thru me. I was gripped with the questions ... Who said that?! And just WHO is the "we"?! ... The voice had said, "We've been waiting for you." ... It was very strange, and at the same time very familiar ....
Center: An incredible experience that took place in Nov. '99, my 2nd trip to Egypt. Some of us got up at 5 AM, rented horses & rode out onto the Giza Plateau to watch the sunrise. Breathtaking! What made it even more powerful is the very night before we had been to see the Sphinx, and had an absolutely unforgettable experience. We were allowed inside the normally closed-to-the-public Sphinx Enclosure. For some reason I had been LONGING to walk right up to the Sphinx ever since I began planning the trip - to feel its presence and ambiance as I stood right near it and walked around it. It was almost devastating to me when I heard that people are kept from the immediate area around the Sphinx. It's in its own 'enclosure' that's sectioned off from the public. You stand on a raised walkway around it and look in. It was due to an 'unexpected' glitch that kept Zahi Hawass from being able to meet us that day that this opportunity presented itself. To make up for not being able to meet with us, Zahi gave us special permission to enter the Sphinx enclosure!
It was one more of the many pivotal experiences of timelessness throughout the trip. We were able to walk right up to this megalithic Sphinx - to wander up between its paws and around it. Just incredible! The whole ambiance of that moment seemed 'on fire' with excitement. As if each atom in the very air was sparkling. ...The sun was just beginning to set at the magical moment that we were heading up the Plateau as we left the Sphinx - from one magnificent experience to the next. We were on our way to enter the Pyramid. The dramatic sunset sky echoed my my excitement and the sense of drama as we left the Sphinx and walked up the hill to enter the massive and powerful Great Pyramid. We had it to ourselves for 4 fascinating hours. ...But that is a story of 'transporting' experiences in itself!
The experiences I've had on my trips are far too many to mention. How the Egypt trip so 'magically' came about is a story in itself! My photo albums look like museum Travel Journals!
I hope that one day you may be able to travel to such places - if that is your dream! Journey well!
Kristen
Contact me: GemsAndBeyond@aol.com