Article by Jill Heilman
Photography by Jill Heilman; Provided
Originally published in Middleton City Lifestyle
Imagine the year 5026. An archaeologist carefully brushes soil from a heavy, asymmetrical gold ring. The geometric lines remain sharp. The tension holding a custom-cut, unheated Nigerian blue tourmaline is completely intact. Looking through a magnifying loupe, the evaluator comes to an undeniable conclusion: whoever crafted this knew what they were doing.
That millennia-spanning historic standard is what John Strobel holds himself to. Inside his workshop, nestled within the John/Christine Designs boutique on Parmenter Street in Middleton, jewelry isn’t assembled; it is formulated through ideation and engineered for each specific stone. A self-taught goldsmith and gemologist, John began his career with a scrappy, relentless resourcefulness. With a limitless mind and a healthy dose of humor regarding his early trial-and-error days, which humbly began with a friend’s dental tools, he took to mastering an ancient trade from scratch. He pushed technical boundaries, learning to forge metal on an anvil and shape highly complex wax models. He embraced the craft's historic processes with absolute veneration, always choosing the traditional path to ensure structural precision, and untraditional when it came to the conformity of his designs.
The trajectory of his artistry forever changed when Christine, a veterinary technician and lifelong animal rescue volunteer, entered his life. She quickly became his muse and his equal partner, bringing a philosophy of gratitude that propelled them forward and continues to shape their philanthropy efforts today. Like riders on a tandem bicycle leaning effortlessly into a sharp curve, they pedal through life and business in complementary symbiotic rhythm.
To understand John’s work, you have to conceptualize how he sees the world around him. Inspiration is drawn from the striking architectural geometry of the Qatar skyline, an oddly shaped burl on an old tree, a water droplet slithering down a window, or sweeping cloud formations during a long bike ride. His mind translates those unexpected flashes of inspiration into highly intentional wearable sculptures.
John and Christine have an education-forward approach when it comes to providing context for the abstract designs. They’ll gladly take time to explain how the molecular strength of metals plays into a piece's longevity or why an aquamarine was faceted at a very specific angle to maximize its liveliness. They’ll passionately share the geographic origin of an Australian opal, emphasizing how stones are finite resources extracted from specific locations on Earth. They want visitors to experience the true soul of the craft to grasp why preserving the ancient art of hand-forging matters in an increasingly modern world. Come curious, and you’ll leave their boutique a ‘rock person.’ Every gemstone is a singular marvel that deserves to be fully understood, not just admired for its sparkle.
That deep reverence for materials guides their selection process. John and Christine never source stones to fill a case; they seek rare cuts with a visceral personal connection, requiring complete clarity into a gem's origin and lapidary history as part of the procurement process. With the weight of the obligation to dutifully encapsulate the one-of-a-kind rarity of each earth-mined stone, he may hold a gem for months or even years, patiently awaiting the precise creative direction to unfold naturally; a process where no two creations will look alike.
Their truest form of giving back is their intentionality. By refusing to compromise on design, John and Christine honor both the Earth that provides such natural wonders and the individuality of the people whom their pieces adorn. When you take home a piece from their collection, you are doing far more than acquiring fine jewelry. You are investing in a timeless art form and securing a generational heirloom with a captivating story to tell, ensuring the brilliance of John’s mind and these rare materials live on.
We want people to understand the story and craft behind each piece.
