Arthur and Elena Court live what they describe as a "simple, quiet life" in the San Francisco Bay Area that would tax the energies of most people ­ running a successful company, designing its products, contributing their time and effort to a long list of conservation and wildlife causes, and traveling the world to attend work-related events as well as in pursuit of the minerals and artifacts they passionately collect.

Raised on a farm in Minnesota, Arthur spent eighteen years following his WWII Naval service working for design and decorating firms in San Francisco. He opened his own business in 1966 and enjoyed worldwide success with custom mountings of his own vast mineral collection. During succeeding decades he traveled the globe in search of exotic specimens created by both nature and man, taking a greater and greater hand in designing the products he presented to his customers. He is best known for the marvelous, intricate aluminum creations that form the large part of the Courts' business today.