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About
Dane Owen, owner

A love
of beauty runs in my blood. My father was a goldsmith, my mother studied and
practiced ikebana, and they filled my years at home with thoughtful beauty.
I made my first gold ring at ten, and worked in my father's jewelry store
until I left home at eighteen. During the subsequent years,my general appreciation
of beauty matured into a lasting fascination with Asian arts, and I began
collecting Japanese antiques. My criterion for obtaining these items was the
same then as it is now: a rare, palpable essence of quality and timeless beauty.
The Japanese have a word for such beauty: Shibui.

To enhance
my understanding of the eastern aesthetic that so enthralled me, I studied the
classics at St. John's College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I had taken my beautiful
surroundings for granted before, but at college I learned just how important
they were to me. My new home was an aesthetic void - a cold, bare cinderblock
dorm room. I felt bereft in these sterile quarters,but on a student budget I
could no longer afford to live amid the beauty that nourished me. Still, I knew
I wouldn't be happy until I did.

Over time,
this lack of beauty and funds gave me an idea: I could send for the objects that
made my last home so beautiful, and sell a few to finance the shipping. When I
put them on the market, the interest that met these eastern antiques was
overwhelming. As it turned out, I wasn't the only person in the desert who loved
the elegant simplicity of Asian art. People were hungry for more, so I began to
furnish them. It was my junior year in college, and Shibui was born.

Since graduating,
I have worked exclusively to develop Shibui and make it accessible to people around
the world. I continue to study and increase my familiarity with things Shibui,
and strive to acquire one-of-a-kind merchandise that can transform and enrich
any setting. At Shibui, I do what I love: share my passion with others and add
beauty to their lives. Thank you for your interest in our collection; we hope
it will enhance your life as well.

Sincerely, 
Dane Owen Owner Shibui
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