Halibut Earrings

Jeff McKenzie is a craftsman, goldsmith, silversmith, jeweler, designer and graduate gemologist. Jeff is the manufacturer of Paul Wagner's North Coast Collection jewelry, and his own personal line including reticulated silver and other various gemstone and metal designs. He was a jewelry store owner/operator in Olympia, WA for 19 years and has been making jewelry since 1984. Before getting into the hands-on end of the business, Jeff worked for Zale Corp in their headquarters in Dallas, Texas then moved into retail jewelry sales before apprenticing as a goldsmith. He is passionate about making jewelry and is constantly striving to improve the quality of all the jewelry he makes. He is at his happiest at his wax carving bench designing new pieces.

Halibut, once common to the Northwest coastal waters, were an important food source for the Northwest Coast peoples. A Tlingit legend tells that a fisherman presented his wife with a very small halibut. Disgusted, she threw it onto the beach, where it thrashed about and grew so large that it smashed the island to pieces, creating the Queen Charlotte Islands.