Lee's good friend and our neighbor here at the studio, Robin had a baby this past Thanksgiving. Lee and Pam gifted baby Arya with a little giraffe at the time. Giraffes quickly became one of Arya's favorite animals, so Lee was inspired to make a piece for Robin featuring the baby's birthstone, topaz, and a hand carved giraffe figure out of mother of pearl with a silver backing. He used a piece from the MarcoLee collection to hold the beautiful topaz he found in Tucson at the annual gem show in February. The MarcoLee piece held the stone without having to carve or disturb the natural beauty of the rough topaz. The pieces turned out beautifully despite a few broken saw blades.