Shoreline Jewelry

The Arts Shorelines:

Jewelry Inspired by the Lakes of Rabun County

By Michael Detrick

Keep the experience of this pristine paradise with you by keeping the natural healing nature of this copper shoreline near you

How she came here

When Jill Chandler Imhoff first walked down the dock at Lake Burton in 2017, she physically felt the magic of the area overcome her, “right down to my flip flops!” A woman of many hats, Jill and her husband Larry had spent two decades living on a boat in South Florida when that first breathtaking view of Lake Burton came into focus, and they made the instant decision to pack up their salty air sea-level lives and head for higher ground here in Rabun County. Jill had recently retired after 20 years in broadcast sales, and Larry was traveling all over doing special projects for the marina industry when they discovered they were destined to lay anchor among the fresh waters and evergreens of Lake Burton, having found their “forever home”. “Retirement is not for punks!” Larry warned. So, they left the marina, packed up the RV, and pushed northward to the pristine sleepy splendor of the North Georgia mountains. It was time to discover season changes. Once the RV rolled northwardly to a parked position here in Rabun County in 2019 – with noticeably chillier weather – she forcibly acquiesced to the apparel item known as socks, curled up under a blanket, and began an online investigation of her new home.

How Shorelines began

Googling “Lake Burton”, she found the history and geographical makeup fascinating. “The way the water blends together from several directions to form the shoreline” piqued such an excitement in her, she “literally threw off the blanket’ and dug through piles of advertising brochures and found an image of the shape of Lake Burton. “I taped it to the window of the RV and traced it onto a Post-It note (she repeated this process several times), then cut the lake shapes out, glued them all together, and then glued my “prototype” to a necklace I had with a flat disc surface.”

She still has and treasures this symbolic seedling of what would become “Shorelines”. The gears were turning, and Jill needed inroads to get this product perfected and properly marketed. Larry had done a project for La Prade’s Marina on Lake Burton, through which Jill met marina General Manager Katie Long. Jill took her paper model to Katie, who was immeasurably helpful and insightful on providing opinions on the would-be product’s uniqueness, customer interest factor, and value, as well as offering a critique of the shoreline itself, until it had that “glance factor” and you knew exactly what you were looking at. Once it was perfected, Katie was her first customer.

It was decided the pieces would be made of copper.

But what started out as one piece embodying one lake has grown to a sizable collection of keepsakes now representing both Lake Burton and Lake Rabun in the form of necklaces, earrings, key rings, bracelets, cuffs, and hanging ornaments. And she has found an “absolutely amazing” place to showcase it.

Where Shorelines landed

During her short time in this area, Jill had become friends with Kelly Blount, the mastermind behind Ladybug Landing (a whimsical gift shop in Lakemont), who has been instrumental in providing her ever-growing collection a permanent space to thrive. “Kelly was so kind in offering me the chance to showcase my line of both Lake Burton and Lake Rabun pieces. She even offered me a parttime job! And let me tell you – the thrill of creating these pieces, then the thrill of a visitor in the shop purchasing one of them for themselves or as a gift is life-changing!” Jill gushed. These gals are each other’s biggest fans, and their combined energies makes for a pretty special in-store experience.

Shorelines of your own

Any piece can be personalized in the form of an engraving, or by even adding a gemstone to mark a special place, such as a lake house location. Jill has plans to incorporate magnets, broaches, and pet collars into the collection in upcoming months. She has created a variety of other shorelines both on and off this continent, and custom orders are also available through both Ladybug Landing and La Prade’s Marina. If you are seeking something other than the copper she got this all started with, precious metals such as silver, gold, and rose gold are also available. Proudly made with loving hands in the mountains of North Georgia, these pieces truly are unique collectibles for those who have also discovered the magic of the lakes of Rabun County. At the end of our interview, exclaims Jill, “No, retirement is not for punks… But it sure is a blast!”