The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Few elements in life are 100 percent universal, but jewelry is one of them. From the dawn of time, humans have adorned themselves with beads made of everything from bone bits to precious gems. And once people learned to work metals, the options multiplied exponentially. Whether we're a pharaoh or peasant, a financier or just a regular person without billions of dollars at our disposal, we're all attracted by bling.

Dayton artist Mary Calanche has been creating jewelry for more than 25 years, and the techniques she uses are as varied as her materials – some are old, some are new, and all...