About Precious Moments 
In the beginning, artist Sam Butcher only intended for his drawings of teardrop-eyed children to encourage and comfort family and friends. He simply called them "Precious Moments" because they spread endearing messages of love, caring and sharing. Today, Sam's beautiful artwork has touched the hearts of millions around the world through the Precious Moments® porcelain bisque figurines by Enesco.
It was in 1978 that Enesco Corporation President Eugene Freedman first saw Sam's simple drawings on a small line of greeting cards. He envisioned the drawings being transformed into three-dimensional figurines. Mr. Freedman took the artwork to Japan to his friend and Master Sculptor Yasuhei Fujioka. With his creative genius, Fujioka-san transformed the illustrations into figurines. Sam was overcome with happiness when he saw the first Precious Moments figurine. Collectors seemed to react the same way.
In 1979, the first 21 porcelain bisque figurines were introduced, and the children with soulful expressions and inspirational titles soon became a phenomenon in the collectibles industry. The Precious Moments collection by Enesco is now the number one collectible in the country and boasts more than 1,000 subjects for every occasion and every sentiment.
Over the past 20 years, Sam has continued to create hundreds of illustrations that reflect his faith, love, compassion and personal situations in his life. From Sam's sketch pad to the final Precious Moments figurine, each subject is truly a work of art. The drawings are sent to the Precious Moments Design Studio in Nagoya, Japan, where a team of highly skilled artisans translate the art into a finely sculptured clay model.
It requires five to seven days to produce a single Precious Moments figurine. Each artisan is extensively trained from the sculptor to the painter, who takes three years to master the famous teardrop eyes -- considered to be the most important and most difficult element of the figurine. It's this attention to detail and quality that has kept the Precious Moments collection so highly valued by collectors and so true to Sam's original artwork.
Each year, Sam Butcher and Enesco announce several pieces that have been retired, meaning they will never be produced again in the same form. The retired pieces, which make room in the collection for more introductions, become highly sought after by collectors.
Whether for birthdays, weddings, graduations, anniversaries, holidays, new babies or just because, the Precious Moments collection expresses any heartfelt sentiment without saying a word. Collectors have found joy in both giving and receiving Precious Moments figurines.
Information taken from Enesco's homepage.
http://www.enesco.com/latest/gift/gg010/gg010abt.htm
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