By TISHA ROTH "MONTECITO LIFE" February 7, 1991

Quartz Crystal Carvings

Long fascinated with the spiritual qualities of crystals as well as their translucent beauty, Mars felt drawn to the challenge of carving 'hard stones' in order to expand upon the revitalizing energy they give off. Quartz crystal, Lapis Lazuli, and Amethyst became the focus of Mars attention.

To learn this art and to better understand the piezo electric qualities inherent in all crystals, in 1986 Mars began studying with renowned physicist Marcel Vogel in Palo Alto, California. In 1987 Mars journeyed to Idar Oberstein, Germany to study with world famous gem carver, Gerd Dreher.

Extremely labor intensive, these minerals can only be cut and polished with diamond tools and have a hardness of 7 on the Mohs Scale Of Hardness. Diamond is the hardest mineral and is rated 10. Talc, the softest, is rated 1.