Our Memories of Casa by Bill and Rosie Everett

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The following article was first published in our sister magazine TODO Casa de Campo, edition 6, but because we all love a little bit of history, so here it is again – the unabridged version with more images!

Our Memories of Casa by Bill and Rosie Everett

We first visited Casa de Campo in 1973. My parents came to visit me when I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Jarabacoa and we came out to play golf and relax. I remember my dad saying, ‘who would pay US$70,000 for a wooden house built on a moonscape of coral?’, referring to the homes in Punta Aguila. Everett Designs started in Puerto Plata in 1976, we started selling to the boutique in the Casa de Campo Hotel in 1977. When Altos de Chavón was being built in 1979, Dominique Bluhdorn was looking for artisans to work and live in Altos de Chavón. We signed on for what we thought would be a few years. We opened the shop in 1980 and lived in the apartment upstairs. It was a fantastic time, lots of artists and prospects going on, restaurants, the discotheque, the amphitheater. It was a real focal point of Casa de Campo.

Bill and Rosie with their children on the Teeth of the Dog

The 1980’s were great. The community was small and everybody knew everybody. There were many young families and we all got together a lot. Activities were similar to today; going to the beaches, boat trips, going out to the countryside for BBQs.

By cutting our own stones and making the jewelry ourselves we were able to offer unique pieces of high quality. Some of our most popular pieces are the treasure coins and Larimar.

Our treasure coin line started in 1976 when we met Tracy Bowden and his crew working on wrecks in the Samaná Bay, then we met Burt Weber’s crew working out of Puerto Plata searching for the “Concepcion”. When they found the ship they split the find with the Dominican government and we got treasure from both. We have now expanded our network to get Spanish treasure coins.

Bill Everett at the Larimar mine in Barahona

We first went to the Larimar mine in Barahuco-Barahona in 1978. It was an open pit mine in the mountains on a horrible dirt road. The mining and road has changed a little since then, it is still pick and shovel, but now they have dug shafts up to 150 ft deep. The rough Larimar is sorted by quality and brought down to the small town of Barahuco where it is sold. There are a few local stone cutters, and outside buyers with workshops across the country visit frequently.

This article was originally published in the 6th issue of TODO Casa de Campo magazine:

Today

  Today, Everett Designs continues to prosper in Altos de Chavon, where their store and showroom is also their workshop. In their workshop in the Altos de Chavon store, talented Dominican craftsmen under the guidance of expert jewelry makers Bill and Rosie work together to create unique pieces, crafted out of the Dominican Republic’s national treasures; Ambar and Larimar. The Everett Designs workshop produces an original collection of jewelry; necklaces, pendants, rings, bracelets, earrings and cufflinks featuring many exotic-colored gems, diamonds and pearls as well as Dominican Ambar and Larimar, all mounted in 18k gold and sterling silver. One of their most popular collections is their ‘Treasure Coins’ created from rare 17th and 18th century Spanish silver and gold coins salvaged from famous shipwrecks. Every original hand stamped coin is mounted by Everett in 18K gold or sterling silver and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. Each extraordinary piece both captures the history of the era and the artistry and craftsmanship of Everett Designs. [nggallery id=2046]

Everett Designs

Altos de Chavon (809) 523-8331 Next to the Art Gallery Email: everett@everettdesigns.com, dr@everettdesigns.com Website:www.everettdesigns.com