Northwest jeweler's distinctive pieces are showing up on Hollywood stars

Damien Brown was just starting his San Damián Jewelry line when he heard that one of his pieces was going to appear on ABC's hit show "Lost," on Evangeline Lilly's character, Kate.

"I was way excited," says Brown, of Vancouver, Wash. "I even organized a group viewing with friends and supporters at a Portland restaurant/bar for the airing of that particular 'Lost' episode. It wasn't until later, when the show was absolutely blowing up and Evangeline was on the covers of all kinds of magazines, did I realize that I'd gotten my foot in the door."

Lilly's on-screen co-star and off-screen boyfriend, Dominic Monaghan, later purchased San Damián's purple chalcedony pendant necklace as a gift, and Lilly has worn it several times on Hollywood red carpets.

"It's the ultimate compliment," Brown says.

A wide world view

Born in Port Angeles, Brown, now 28, grew up in the logging/fishing community of Clallam Bay. "I spent most of my years growing up with the ocean, forests and mountains of the Olympic Peninsula," he says. "I also worked summers from age 15 in Eastern Washington in the orchards and wheat fields of the Wenatchee Valley area."

When Brown was 16, his mother sent him to live in the jungle city of Merida in Mexico's Yucatan state, where he lived and studied for eight months.

"Spending time in the Yucatan provided an international influence, as well as inspiring the vibrant colors in my San Damián Street line," he says.

But the Northwest perhaps had the greatest influence.

"Growing up with so much wonderful nature around me was a real inspiration," Brown says. "The echoing theme behind the semiprecious stones and sterling in [one] line has a lot to do with feeling grounded, free-spirited and in harmony. Each stone helps to enhance a set of metaphysical properties within its wearer."

Like many artists, Brown opted for a "fall-back" degree. His is a bachelor's in foreign-language international affairs, from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, and he says the classes actually came in handy when it came time to shape his brand.

His background and fluency in Spanish also have facilitated his involvement in the export-import aspect of the business.

Carving a niche

Brown got his start in trading commodities, including sterling-silver jewelry, from Mexico and countries in the Pacific. "What discouraged me was to see that most of the sterling jewelry coming into the country, whether it be from Mexico, Thailand, India, Bali or China, was all the same, designwise. Even today, most are knockoffs of Italian designing."

This inspired Brown "to try my hand at designing a line that was unique and that potentially could find its own niche. It was scary! In spring of 2003, I got the inspiration for the glass fusion pieces that are now my San Damián Street line."

It took Brown 22 months to research, develop and successfully produce the effects he had envisioned. The semiprecious stones in San Damián jewelry are from lands including Africa, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Peru and Siberia.

"I hand-select each stone based on cut, polish, color and striation. I then decide which sterling setting will best enhance the stone's natural features. Sometimes I sort through 10,000 loose pieces and select 200 that are worthy of my designs ... and other times, I have special cuts done and use every piece."

Brown's process includes "an arduous glass-fusion process. ... The end product is a piece that is nearly impossible to break and that changes colors as the dichroic component bends and refracts light. Each piece exudes its own one-of-a-kind pattern and color shift ... its own distinct personality, if you will. All of the glass fusion is done under my supervision here in the states."

Brown initially sold prototypes at local street fairs up and down the coast. A felicitous meeting with a personal shopper led Brown to his "industry" connection, and his lines soon appeared on NBC's "Hawaii," Fox's "Northshore" and, eventually, "Lost." Most pieces cost under $100.

Lilly's now-famous pendant is a San Damián Peruvian Opal piece.

Fran Drescher is another fan of the line, which is currently sold in several boutiques in Oregon, but primarily on the Web site (www.sandamianline.com).

N.F. Mendoza is a writer based in Los Angeles and an occasional contributor to The Seattle Times.