Some people find their calling in high school. Sometimes it’s on the football field every Friday night. For others, it’s on stage in the spring musical or working behind the scenes. But for senior Jay Loughry, it’s hunched over a machine in their basement at three in the morning, tweezers in hand, watching a ring come together piece-by-piece.

In fact, Jay recently received an offer from Park City Center to sell their jewelry at the Silver Moon Gallery. Jay’s plan is to have the jewelry available for purchase either at the gallery or through a personal website by the end of this school year.

“That would be my first time ever doing something like a business by myself,” Jay said, explaining that they’ve been hesitant simply because the territory is so unfamiliar. “I don’t know where I’m going. I’ve just been trying to figure that out,” Jay said. “But I’m excited to at least try.”

The jewelry journey started a few months ago when Jay’s father brought home a ring leaf, which is a machine that spins quickly and uses superglue to keep the ring pieces intact.

Originally, Jay commuted to their father’s warehouse in order to access the ring leaf. He owns a Christmas store, as well as multiple other small businesses. For Christmas this year, he brought a smaller machine home, allowing Jay constant access. Because of this accessibility, rings have turned into their main focus.

“I would love to learn to make bracelets and necklaces. I’m a super massive fan of earrings, too,” Jay said.

Their favorite piece of jewelry from their collection is a black ceramic ring, which was displayed proudly on their finger during the interview. Because of the materials used, this ring won’t scratch, unlike others made with resin or paint.

To make a ring, Jay starts by putting a thin layer of superglue into the ring leaf. Once all the desired materials have been added, another layer of superglue is used to solidify the ring before allowing the machine to spin around for a few minutes. “Part of the ring-making process is hitting [the ring] with a dremel tool and sandpaper,” Jay said. This ensures that any larger pieces within the ring won’t stick out. Finally, Jay coats the ring with a layer of polish. This entire process can take up to an hour for one ring.

Jay makes every ring separately, creating a uniqueness that is evident throughout their creations all together. One ring that Jay lovingly refers to as “the Dragster” is embedded with watch gears and industrial rubies, each one placed into the machine using tweezers with painstaking precision.

Another ring they made was a gift for their grandmother, using opals in a mosaic-style design. One ring contains black sand from a beach in Hawaii, along with orange glow powder that shines under a black light. The list of materials that Jay has explored goes on and on, including obsidian, sea glass, and moonstone. Not all their rings turn out perfectly, but Jay acknowledges the important memories behind each one.

“Practice makes perfect, and so does taking your time with things. That’s how I ended up with this perfect, at least in my opinion, perfect ring,” Jay said, twirling “the Dragster” around, their eyes lighting up.