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Gem of a shop found in Warm Springs
BY MARGO OXENDINE • STAFF WRITER
 | | Stones encrusted with raw minerals, or a finished piece of jewelry to treasure, can be found at McGraw Minerals, on Courthouse Hill in Warm Springs. (Recorder photos by Margo Oxendine) |
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WARM SPRINGS - McGraw Minerals is a labor of love. And beauty.
The shop, open for two years, sits across the road from the Bath County Courthouse. There's no splashy, garish sign; no flashing neon beckoning to passersby. In fact, if one weren't looking for it, the shop might be easy to miss.
Fortunately for Bryan and Alix McGraw, lots of folks are happy to come looking for them. And even happier to step inside the wonderland that is McGraw Minerals.
Alix and Bryan met while students at New England College in New Hampshire. She was majoring in art; he was pursuing an environmental science degree. The result is a marriage of mind, soul, heart and talent.
The volume and variety of raw materials and gemstones the McGraws have on hand, and in reserve, is astounding. This inventory, which they've been building for 15 years, is what got them started down their bejeweled path, and what will keep McGraw Minerals going for years to come.
 | | Alix and Bryan McGraw spent a year creating the McGraw Minerals mascot, this bejeweled bear. |
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"We got a real boost," Bryan explained one rainy afternoon. "We purchased a business from a friend of ours in New York City. He was a pilot for a gemstone company, and eventually ended up owning it. He used to fly all over the world to major gemstone locations, and he would purchase the rough material and bring it back to the states. Over the years, Alix and I got to be very good friends with him, through the rock business. He finally got to the age where he was ready to sell the inventory he'd built up over more than 30 years."
Bryan has had rocks in his heart since childhood. In fact, he comes by it naturally: His great-grandfather was a well-known jeweler in Baltimore, Md. Their pilot friend appreciated this passion, and knew his malachite, amethyst, turquoise, quartz, and other unpronounceable, but glorious, gems and minerals would be in good hands.
 | | This close-up of the McGraw Minerals mascot shows off its intricacies, such as teeth and claws, and the precious and semi-precious stones that went into its construction. |
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"He was inspired by us," Alix noted with a smile, "and we were inspired by him."
Inspirational is a good descriptive word for what one finds on the shelves and in the cases at McGraw Minerals. Much of the jewelry the couple makes is breathtaking in its beauty and detail. They've learned the art of silversmithing, and working with gold. Bryan works all of the lapidary processes, which entails taking rough gemstone material and using several different machines, such as grinding wheels, saws and tumblers. Bryan also does the faceted stone work - he cuts, shapes, drills, and then polishes the rough material into pieces that the couple can then use to make their magic.
Alix does all the wire-wrapping and beaded work, along with managing the shop. She designs the earrings, bracelets, rings and necklaces.
"We both do the silver and gold smithing, and make a variety of pieces," Alix explained, "including custom rings, which are very popular, as well as bracelets, earrings, pendants and the new bola-tie designs we have coming. By covering every step ourselves, we can create unique, one-of-a-kind pieces for any individual."
There is something at McGraw Minerals for every shopper, and every purse. Visiting children might leave with a complimentary piece of rock or stone or mineral. Visiting spouses might leave with the gift of a lifetime for a loved one. Visiting tourists might leave with a unique souvenir. Even those who leave without making a purchase (the McGraws are happy to layaway pieces, though), leave with the knowledge they've seen something special.
Perhaps the most remarkable thing in the shop is not for sale. It's the McGraw Minerals mascot, a life-sized bear encrusted with fabulous bright, sparkling things - amethysts, different colored quartzes, deep green malachite, varying shades of turquoises, even dioptase, a mineral native to the Congo that looks exactly like emerald to the untrained eye. The bear took the couple a year to make, and commands a look-at-me presence in the shop.
The couple is a font of information about every stone and gem and mineral in the place.
"People love to learn the story behind the gemstones," notes Alix. "They love to pick up a rock encrusted with crystals, and see how it was transformed from that, to a wearable piece of art."
Learn about it, and see it for yourself, in the brightly painted cottage across from the courthouse in Warm Springs. McGraw Minerals is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10:30 until 5 p.m., or by appointment. The phone number is 839-2599, or an email message may be sent to mcgrawminer@mgwnet.com.
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