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Joe Intili was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1944. He moved to
Arizona at the age of 31 and there began to develop his considerable talent for carving.
Most of Joe's early work was done in turquoise, a highly commercial stone abundant in the
Southwestern United States. Between 1982 and '83 Joe initiated and completed his first
fire agate carvings... a collection of twenty pieces which he sold immediately to a local
collector. Since then, Joe and Bob Beaudry have developed a close working relationship as
they continue to develop the stored rough resources of Fire Agate International. Of the 20
or so rough stones provided him each month, Intili says on average only one or two are
ever fully developed as either gem grade cabochons or carvings. When describing the
process of his work, which is done in his home studio, Joe says it can take up to 20 hours
just to polish a single stone. Joe continues to live in Tucson with his eleven year old
daughter .
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