Handmade Heirlooms

Unexpected blessings abound for silversmith LaVell Erickson

Story and photos by Dianna Troyer

During last fall’s successful Bruneau Cowboy Christmas Show, silversmith LaVell Erickson found himself brainstorming ways to express his gratitude for the jewelry sales he and his wife, Nicole, had made.

“I’d done well, so on the way home, I told Nicole, ‘Let’s go make someone’s life better,’” says LaVell, owner of Erickson Silver and a fourth-generation rancher near Almo.

They stopped at a restaurant in Mountain Home and decided to pay for a customer’s meal.

“Nicole looked around and picked a guy with a worn hat and clothes, so we had the waitress give us his tab,” LaVell says. “Then, it was my turn.”

He noticed their diligent waitress. “She was really hustling to get everyone served, so I gave her a hundred dollar bill,” he says. “She broke down crying. When I asked what was going on, she said she and her four kids were living out of her car. Sometimes, God puts people in our path for a reason.”

Known for making unique handcrafted sterling silver jewelry, LaVell sells his work at about a dozen arts and crafts shows annually in Idaho and Utah. He will have a booth at the Teton Horse Experience from March 13-15 at Wind River Arena in Rigby.

LaVell is as generous with his time as he is his earnings. He mentors teens who want to make and engrave something with silver for their high school senior project. He offers to ddemonstrate his craft for church youth groups. He also belongs to 208 Silversmiths, a group of Idaho artisans who host workshops to develop their skills and teach others.

“So many people were gracious to show me techniques, so teaching others is a way for me to give back,” he says.

LaVell makes rings, earrings, pendants, bracelets, belt buckles, money clips and bolo ties. He then engraves scrollwork or floral patterns on them.

“Whatever I make is one-of-a-kind, with the idea that it could become a family heirloom,” he says. “Some people have asked me to make a ring or pendant and put their brand on it. One person’s dad loved to fly, so I put a small plane on a ring. People value handmade personalized pieces.”

As a nod to Idaho gems, LaVell uses garnets from Northern Idaho, opals from Spencer, Bruneau jasper, variscite from Snowville and plume agate from the Lost River Valley.

One of his most sentimental projects was making a belt buckle for his father, Dennis, with their family brand—the Lazy J—on it. A photo of Dennis is framed over his workbench.

“I’m blessed to live where I do and to work with Dad every day taking care of the cattle,” LaVell says.

In addition to his craft, he juggles ranch work and mining Oakley stone. After finishing work, LaVell heads to his shop late at night or early in the morning to make jewelry.

“I absolutely love to get behind a graver and turn a plain piece of silver into a piece of art,” he says. “It’s definitely therapeutic and relaxing for me.”

On a shelf, he displays his first project, a pair of spurs he made in high school in 1989.

“They remind me of how much I’ve learned,” he says. “I’ve also made bits and spurs and engraved bridles.”

Wanting to develop his silversmithing and engraving skills, LaVell accepted a friend’s invitation to enroll in the first Idaho Silversmith Symposium, organized by the Idaho Commission on the Arts in 2017. Artisans sought to preserve traditional cowboy arts, update business and marketing aspects of their craft, improve their skills through a hands-on workshop, sell their work and teach others.

“I’ve been blessed to hang out with some legends in the engraving world—Ernie Marsh, Shawn Didyoung, Dave Alderson, Diane Scalese, Scott Hall, Annie Wangsgard, Dave Murray and Mike Taylor,” LaVell says.

To hone his engraving skills, he bought a sketchbook and began drawing.

“At first, I could barely draw a stick figure, so I got up at 3 a.m. to practice sketching patterns,” LaVell says. “Now, I’m comfortable doing scrollwork and other designs.”

Sometimes at shows, he recognizes people wearing his earliest rings or earrings and winces at the engraving.

“It looks so simplistic, so I offer to buy my pieces back and make them better, but no one takes me up on that,” he says.

At shows, LaVell relies on Nicole to run the Erickson Silver booth. When their work schedules permit, their daughters, Sidney and Hailey, and son, Gabe, help, too.

“I couldn’t do the shows without Nicole,” LaVell says. “She decorates our booth and makes it look pretty and stays there, too. I like to wander around and visit with other vendors and customers. We meet awesome people at the shows and have a lot of repeat customers.”

Nicole jokes she is a walking advertisement for LaVell.

“He’s so talented and people appreciate that whatever they buy is unique,” she says. “A friend who works in Burley wears his rings, and people tell her they recognize his work.”

Sidney set up an Instagram account, @erickson.silver, where LaVell shares what he treasures—his family, jewelry, show schedules and scenic videos of Little Cove Ranch where he grew up.

When they go to a show, LaVell says he is reminded he wouldn’t be there without the help of family and friends.

“Because of that, I always look forward to making someone’s life better,” he says.

LaVell’s posts his latest pieces and show schedules on Instagram, @erickson.silver.