Skip Colflesh
| Skip Colflesh | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 28, 1951 CE Pennsylvania, USA |
| 💀Died | April 5, 2020 CE California, USAApril 5, 2020 CE |
| 💼 Occupation | Fine Jewelry Designer, Mineral Collector |
| 👩 Spouse(s) | Kimberly S Colflesh |
| 👶 Children | Kimberly A Wedding (maiden name Colflesh), Andrew Fouche |
| 👴 👵 Parent(s) | Marie Filippone (formerly Colflesh, maiden name Mosiniak) |
Skip Colflesh (1951 – 2020) was born James J Colflesh. A prolific American Jewelry Designer, Bench Jeweler and avid Field Mineral Collector, in 2015, at Dyer Quarry, he found one of the most significant Stellerite finds in the eastern North American trap-rock belt[1].
As an artist, in the guild tradition, his career in jewelry design spanned more than 40 years, focusing on original pieces and restoration. He founded The Jeweler's Bench in Hershey, PA and later in life, JCJewelry.
Biography[edit]
Early life[edit]
Skip grew up in and around Philadelphia, PA. In his youth, he honed his artistic skills hand painting pizza boxes for local pizza shops and sketching. He attended Neshaminy High School[2] and went on to study Geology at Penn State University's Main Campus. During his time at Penn State, in 1972[3], he took part in an intensive, two week geology expedition cross-country.
Exposed to rare geological formations, fossils and gems, the experience made a lasting impression on Skip, which he carried throughout the rest of his life.
Professional & Adult Life[edit]
During the 70s, Skip was an avid bird watcher and consistent contributor to the National Audubon Society[4][5][6]. He held several jobs (including welding wrought iron railings in western Pennsylvania) till he settled in Hershey, PA and had the opportunity to apprentice in a local jewelry shop to learn jewelry repair. He quickly mastered the craft and launched his own business.
On December 7th, 1979, Skip opened The Jewelers Bench Inc., with a focus on reviving the "guild" store tradition, by combining skills in Geology, Mineralogy, Goldsmithing and Gemstone Setting.
Skip's original designs ranged from custom pieces and restorations to numbered limited-series, including: theTightrope Collection, the Bridge Series, Square-Circle Pendants, Heinie Pins, the Kite Series, Jewelled Eggs and more. As a jeweler, Skip also had some interesting brushes with Hollywood, for example, while GIRL, INTERRUPTED was filming in PA, their wardrobe crew worked with Skip to supply period-appropriate estate jewelry for Vanessa Redgrave.
His mineral collection is both acquired and self field-collected. Skip began field collecting in the late 60s, while still in college and continued through early 2020. By maintaining his MSHA certification and gaining the respect of several PA quarry owners, his collection grew to a considerable size and is meticulously documented. Specimens span several international localities, with a strong focus on classic east coast localities, predominantly within Pennsylvania. In August 2015, at Dyer Quarry, he found one of the most significant Stellerite finds in the eastern North American trap-rock belt[7].
Throughout his life, he crafted custom designs for charitable donations to the American Heart Association and several other organizations. He continued to create heirloom custom designs, right till the end of his life.
Death and Legacy[edit]
In 2019, Skip developed symptoms and was diagnosed with NSCLC; his final battle was with a rare and fast-acting cancer called LMD, Leptomeningeal Disease. Skip's mineral collection is still privately held and The Jewelers Bench in Hershey, PA continues to operate under the ownership of Angelica Stetler. Specimens from his collection are on display at West Chester University's Geology Museum.
Published works[edit]
Rocks & Minerals, Volume 77, 2002 - Issue 5, Collector's Note: A Remarkable Calcite Pocket at the York Building Supply Company Quarry: York, York County, Pennsylvania, Published Online: 08 Jul 2010
Honours, decorations, awards and distinctions[edit]
Mineralogical Record 2015, vol. 46, no. 3, pg. 77, fig. 106[8]
Mineral Collections in the American Northeast[9] - a supplement to the Mineralogical Record July-August 2016, pgs 84-87
Rocks & Minerals[10], July/August 2017, vol. 92, no. 4, pgs. 366-371
References/Notes and References[edit]
- ↑ "Stellerite and Stilbite from Pennsylvania". tandfonline.com.
- ↑ "Neshaminy High School Class of 1969 Alumni". classcreator.com.
- ↑ "Department of Geosciences". geosc.psu.edu.
- ↑ "The Nesting Season 1976" (PDF). sora.unm.edu.
- ↑ "The Nesting Season 1977" (PDF). sora.unm.edu.
- ↑ "The Winter Season 1977-78" (PDF). sora.unm.edu.
- ↑ "Stellerite and Stilbite from Pennsylvania". tandfonline.com.
- ↑ "Meckley's Quarry Celestine Collected by Skip Colflesh & Scott Snavely". mineralogicalrecord.com.
- ↑ "Mineral Collections in the American Northeast". mineralogicalrecord.com.
- ↑ "The Smoky Mountain Crystal Prospect, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania". TandFonline.
Further reading[edit]
Family Obituary
Obituary, FRIENDS OF MINERALOGY, vol. 48, no. 2, pg 5
External links[edit]
https://www.geosc.psu.edu/file/2890/download?token=_I0VwQoS
https://www.geosc.psu.edu/alumni-field-camp#1972-20087
Stellerite and Stilbite from Pennsylvania https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00357529.2019.1595950
A Remarkable Calcite Pocket at the York Building Supply Company Quarry https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00357529.2002.9925661>
https://mineralogicalrecord.com/back_issues/the-collector-and-his-legacy-ir233n233e-du-pont-and-the-mineralogical-collection-of-the-university-of-delaware/>
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10341683/
http://www.trinityminerals.com/spring2016/index.html
https://www.mindat.org/user-26413.html
Mineral News, 26, #5, 2. Analytical confirmation by Lance Kearns - Colflesh, S. (2010)
http://www.friendsofmineralogy.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/2004_Winter.pdf
At the 2015 Denver Show, Ed Rosenzweig of Edwards Minerals had newly collected stellerite specimens from a find by Skip Colflesh and Scott Snavely in August 2015 in the Dyer quarry.
Mineral News, 26, #5, 2. Amethyst from Pennsylvania - Colflesh, S. (2010)
Mineral News, 26, #5, 2. EDS and XRD confirmation by Lance Kearns - Colflesh, S. (2010)
A Classic Pennsylvania Calcite, Mineral Bliss: 12-5-2009, written by Jake Slagle
https://jcjminerals.com
https://tjbhershey.com
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