Jewelry

Tangren said about one-third of their stones come from materials that were removed during temple repairs or renovations, and the rest come from scraps that were left over after a temple was constructed.

They’ve received all of the stones they have in legitimate ways, he said.

“A large part comes from people who have worked on the temple and were given scraps as a memento,” he said. “We also find just regular people who have temple stones when we go out in public to craft shows and fairs. It is amazing how many people actually have temple stone in their possession that they were given during the construction, renovation or repairs.”

Tangren said they’ve received stones from church leaders and members, and even people who aren’t associated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some of the individuals have had their stones for more than 20 years.

“We trade jewelry for a part of their stone and now they have something they can use and appreciate rather than a rock on the shelf that just collects dust,” Tangren said.

It doesn’t take a big piece of stone to make the 10- by 8-millimeter cabochons they use in their jewelry, he said.

“The stones are cut into small pieces and shaped into cabochons using different grade sanding wheels. It is truly a dying art form which I am still in the process of learning and perfecting,” Tangren said.  “Most of our stones are cut by (a) professional gemologist who (specializes) in stone cabochons.” 

Currently, the business offers stones from 51 different temples and will be adding four more by the end of May.

Tangren said they have stones that come from temples as far away as Mexico, Dominican Republic, Argentina, Finland, Italy, Germany, Nigeria and the Philippines. They also have many stones from throughout the U.S., including Utah and Idaho.

Tangren said his father, Burke Tangren, actually started the business in the 1990s. He had received a large stone that was part of the original Nauvoo, Illinois, temple while he was serving a mission in the area with his wife.

“I do not know what possessed him to make jewelry with it, but he did and started to sell his jewelry in several bookstores in Nauvoo,” Tangren said. “In truth, he probably gave away more than he ever sold. He loved seeing people’s reactions when they received a necklace made with the stone.”

It’s an aspect of the business that Tangren has come to love as well.

He restarted the business after his father died in 2014 as a way to deal with his grief and keep his father’s memory close.

“This was important to him and, as I saw the reaction of those who purchased the jewelry, I began to see why he loved it so much,” Tangren said.

While Tangren has another primary occupation, he enjoys working on the side to continue his father’s legacy. His own children now help him with the work.

Tangren says they donate a lot of their jewelry and proceeds to others — just like his father did. That’s because the business isn’t about the money, he said.

“It is about sharing something that is important to me with others who recognize and appreciate it,” he said. “There is nothing sacred or magical about the stone. It is just beautiful stone from a beautiful building. However, it is what that building means to so many of the LDS faith that makes it unique and special to those wear the jewelry.”

Tangren hopes the necklaces, rings, tie clips and other jewelry pieces he makes will help those who wear them to remember the temple, which church members consider to be sacred, and what it means to them.

“If it keeps the beautiful things of the temple close to their heart and mind, then it has served its purpose,” he said.

Tangren said his father loved the Nauvoo temple because of the sacrifices that early church members made to build it in the 1800s.

“Many of those people were my direct ancestors,” Tangren said. “He loved keeping a piece of that great temple close to him so that he never forgot their sacrifice.”