The Story of The Original Texas Bluebonnet
Spring time in Texas brings bluebonnets, Indian paintbrushes, Indian blankets, sunflowers, and other Texas wildflowers covering the Texas roadsides and prairies. At Form To Feeling, wildflowers hold a particularly special place for us.
Kirk Root’s First Signature Piece
“I knew if I sold one bluebonnet per month we could pay the bills. Two, we could buy groceries. But if I sold three, I could take Lori on a nice date."
-Kirk Root, telling the story of the early days crafting The Original Texas Bluebonnet.
In 1986, the Bluebonnet Pendant became a Kirk Root signature design and a customer favorite. So much so, that it inspired him to create an entire Wildflower Collection of handmade Texas wildflower pieces. In 2016, after Kirk’s widow, Lori, closed C. Kirk Root Designs in the Arboretum, Cub wanted to make sure his father’s designs were not lost forever. Opening Form To Feeling in 2017, Cub created The Kirk Root Collection for this purpose. He has since expanded the Wildflower Collection to include the Amazing Grace Sunflower. A portion of profits from the Wildflower Collection are given back to charity organizations including the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and Brookwood in Georgetown. Cub is proud to carry on his father’s legacy as the original creator of the Texas Wildflower Collection and Lone Star Cut Topaz fine jewelry in our Kirk Root Collection.
The Story of Our Original Texas Bluebonnets
In the mid-80s, Kirk Root, Cub’s father was an up-and-coming jeweler in Texas, looking to make a name. He had already distinguished himself by becoming the youngest ever master appraiser at age 22, but as he launched his own custom jewelry store he knew that he needed a signature piece. Inspired by the springtime bluebonnets that surrounded him, Kirk set out to create a statement piece that captured not only the beauty of Texas bluebonnets, but also the sentiment that surrounds them – the springtime joy that heralds long days and warm nights of lounging at Zilker Park, cooling off in Barton Creek and chowing down on tacos. In order to capture the brilliance of the bluebonnets, Kirk opted to use diamond cut blue sapphires, green gold, and tsavorite green garnets, with diamonds running up the stem for an extra sparkle. He knew he had a hit when he finished his first prototype and laid it in the showcase, only to have his mother (our grandmother) grab it, put it on and refuse to take it off. Since then, Cub has added the Sterling Silver Bluebonnet to the collection using exquisite alternative materials in order to be available at a more modest price point. Each Sterling Silver Bluebonnet is made in Sterling Silver and hand set with created fine blue sapphire, created fine emerald, and Swarovski cubic zirconia. Every stone is hand selected to be of the highest quality in each individual piece. The yellow gold option is made in sterling silver with a yellow gold micro plating.
What Makes Our Texas Bluebonnets So Special?
Unsurprisingly, Kirk’s one-of-a-kind design has inspired many imitators and knockoffs, but no other jeweler can match the love and craftsmanship that we put into our pieces.
We hand-pick and hand-set our diamond cut blue sapphires.
No one was diamond cutting sapphires when he started making these pieces in the 80s, so each sapphire was custom cut just for these pieces.
We use tsavorite green garnet instead of emeralds because garnet is more durable and gives off a shine that truly does justice to the Texas bluebonnet.
We buy hundreds of carats of garnets and sapphires and choose only the top 10% for our wildflower pieces.
Genuine Wildflower Collection pieces will always carry the Kirk Root trademark stamp.
Forever springtime at Form To Feeling.
Thank you for reminiscing on these special pieces with us. We are happy to be able to carry on Kirk Root’s legacy through the Wildflower Collection and Texas Star Cut Gemstone pieces in The Kirk Root Collection. We know there is a piece of Texas for everyone within The Kirk Root Collection, and we hope you enjoy these pieces as much as we do. If you have any questions when ordering from The Kirk Root Collection, please let us know! To read more about Kirk’s Lone Star Cut Gemstone Collection within The Kirk Root Collection, view our blog post here.
