About

Judy Kiriazis was born in Chicago and attended DePaul University and did graduate work at Governors State University. She’s held a variety of jobs, including: Research assistant to world-famous architect Harry Weese, managing editor of Inland Architect Magazine, and executive director of the Lake Michigan Federation, a citizens’ environmental action group devoted to protecting and improving water quality in Lake Michigan and its four-state, 68,000 square-mile drainage basin.

In 1987, Judy left Chicago and moved to Flagstaff, Arizona, where she earned a doctorate in zoology, with a specialty in animal behavior and communication. She taught at the university level for 14 years before leaving NAU to become a fused glass artist and metalsmith.  She opened Heart of Stone Studio in 2003 and personally picks all the gemstones on the website.