FEATURE | JEWELRY
One of a kind
East Texas artist creates one of a kind jewelry
PENNYLYNN WEBB
Texas jeweler Cheryl Whitney-Huebner creates unique pieces of wearable art . Her collections include an array of rings , necklaces , earrings , bracelets and metal cuffs in intricate designs and beautiful gemstones . Her pieces are so exquisite and intricately made , you would think she was a formally trained craftsman , however , this multi-talented artist is a self-taught entrepreneur and she began her artistic endeavors when she was just a child .
A Texas native , Whitney-Huebner was born in Kerrville and grew up in the Santa Fe / Texas City area . Her father was a charter fisherman . Raised a tomboy , she grew up baiting the hooks for the men her dad would take out for chartered fishing trips . When her father would catch a shark , she would take the head and put it in an ant bed to clean it . Ever resourceful and creative , she would then pull the teeth out of the skull , drill holes in them and make jewelry . “ I would sit on our little front porch , with my little shark teeth and lemonade , or whatever else I made to sell ,” she said . Whitney-Huebner also received encouragement from her aunt who owned a ‘ Rings n ’ Things ’ in San Antonio .
“ When I would go stay with my grandmother , she would take me to see my aunt and she would have all these broken pieces of costume jewelry and she would let me take all the broken pieces and make new things .”
As a teen and in her early 20 ’ s , she was a model working throughout Texas .
Fast forward a few years , Whitney-Huebner married and had three children with her first husband . A stay at home mom , she was always looking for creative outlets , sewing clothing for herself and her children .
In her 30 ’ s , Whitney-Huebner was a self-sufficient single mother
20 | PALESTINE MAGAZINE | HOLIDAY EDITION 2022