Cowgirl spotlight: Amy Raymond
At the The Original Windmill Ceiling Fan Company, we honor craftsmen who have similar values as us, such as their commitment to one-of-a-kind American-made products, hand-crafted quality, and personal one-on-one communication with every customer. Not surprisingly, many of the leaders in this area are all the loud and proud cowgirls, whose enduring spirit and artistic contributions to the western way of life are second to none.
With that in mind, allow us to introduce you to master silversmith Amy Raymond.
A devoted ranch wife and mom to two young cowboys, Amy is a master silversmith and engraver with her own business called Raymond Silver Co. in Helix, Oregon. Amy is a Jane of all trades, but where she’s truly carved out her own niche (pun intended) is with her ability to create unique, fun, and iconic silver pieces — often from just a small vision dancing around in her head. Her custom order list ranges from earrings, rings, pendants, pins, and necklaces to bits and spurs, belt buckles, and other eye-catching intricate creations. As Amy says, if you can dream it, she can make it.
“I think I started out thinking that I could make gear for my husband, and it would allow my husband to have super cool stuff. What’s kept me in it is not that,” she said in a video interview with Western Horseman. “What’s kept me in it is the drive to make something above and beyond everyone else and make something really, really cool and iconic for people to wear. I want women to walk by each other either in the grocery store or at a rodeo, each have a piece of my earrings and necklace on, and for them not to know that I made each piece. Because I want each person to feel like they have something new, original — something all of their own.”
Always wanting to improve on her craft, Amy has sought out guidance from other masters in the trade — even as she is viewed as a master in her own right and is routinely featured by Art of the Cowgirl. Her desire to constantly hone her craft has led her to reputable makers such as Hugh Coffelt and Jim Baltzor, bit and spur maker Ernie Marsh, and Cowgirl Hall of Fame inductee and master engraver Diane Scalese.
For the last several years, Amy has spearheaded the Pendleton Cattle Barons Bit, Spur and Engraving Contest. She also teaches classes and clinics in silversmithing for beginners and people who want to learn new techniques.
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