Wood, Minerals, and Accessories

I grew up in Transylvania, Romania, surrounded by mountains, forests, and nature. Spending time outdoors was simply a part of life. Looking back, those experiences gave me a deep appreciation for the natural world and a curiosity about the stories hidden within it.

Years later, after moving to Florida, a trip to Maine introduced me to something entirely new. Walking along a rocky beach at low tide, I became fascinated by the colors, patterns, and textures of the stones scattered along the shoreline — the fact that the earth just makes these things, in all their variety, never stopped amazing me. I filled a backpack with nearly fifty pounds of rocks and unknowingly began a passion that would shape the rest of my life.

From then on, I collected stones and minerals everywhere I traveled. I joined rock clubs, attended mineral shows, visited mines, and spent countless hours learning about crystals, minerals, and the natural world that creates them. What fascinated me wasn’t just how beautiful they were, but their stories — how they formed, how they changed over time, and the incredible forces that shaped them.

Years later, while searching for a piece of driftwood to display one of my favorite stones, I came across a photograph of a teak root table. In that moment, something clicked. What if I combined my love of stones and crystals with the beauty of natural wood?

That idea became Sticks & Stones Collection.

I began sourcing extraordinary woods, roots, slabs, crystals, and minerals from around the world, bringing together the natural elements that had inspired me for years. What started as a dream of opening a rock shop evolved into a gallery and workshop filled with one-of-a-kind pieces for the home — live-edge tables, root furniture, crystal specimens, sculptures, glass art, and unique statement pieces that celebrate the beauty of nature.

There is something magical about finding a crystal hidden inside a muddy rock — picking up a heavy, dirt-covered stone and knowing, somehow, that there’s something waiting inside. You rush to wash it off, excited to see what nature has been hiding for thousands, or even millions, of years. It never gets old.

That sense of wonder is what drives everything I do. In a world that moves faster and faster, I believe it’s important to slow down and reconnect with the natural world around us. Whether I’m hiking, running, swimming, or creating in my workshop, nature is constantly reminding me how much it still has to teach us.

A crystal formed deep within the earth, a root shaped over decades, a live-edge slab that carries the story of a tree’s life — these pieces can do more than fill a space. They spark curiosity, start conversations, and bring something real into our everyday surroundings.

At Sticks & Stones Collection, my goal is simple: to bring a small piece of that connection into people’s homes. My role isn’t to compete with nature, but to reveal what’s already there — to find the pieces worth finding, and give them a place where their beauty can finally be seen.

When I look at a crystal or something I’ve created, it still brings a smile to my face. My hope is that it does the same for the people who bring these pieces home.

Because every stone, every root, every crystal got here somehow.

And that journey is always worth knowing.