Local Craftsman Works In Beach Stones

Jos. Pare, a Lynnfield resident for more than two decades, has developed a unique style of craftsmanship that owes its origins to beach visits he and his wife made in Maine.

For about 1 1/2 years, Pare has been making his stone lamps, using rocks found on local beaches. He also makes coat racks, wine bottle stoppers and book lamps using the stones. Pare is a printer by trade who originally comes from Medford, while his wife is a Lynnfield native who graduated from and .

When creating his lamps, Pare reports that he prefers not to polish the stones, but washes them instead before applying a satin polyurethane to them - which helps bring the natural colors out of the stone. "I like to keep the natural texture," he said.

The first item Pare made was the stone lamp, which he says his wife loved. "It just went from there," he said, adding that one of her friends gave him the idea to try making a wine bottle stopper. Pare works in his basement workshop and has also been spending more time researching materials online.

For his book lamps, Pare uses the title pages from real books and arranges them on the shade to create a certain collage effect.

The Lynnfield-based craftsman sells his creations on the website Etsy.com, which feature handmade items from people around the world. Check out his profile and more of his work here.