Jennifer Weir

I didn’t play dress up in my mother‘s jewelry box as a child. Most 1970’s moms in Berkeley had hippie jewelry that didn’t sparkle much (though I do adore my native beaded earrings from the era). But my favorite candy was the Ring Pop. A hard candy, the size of a golf ball in the shape of a diamond, sat atop a plastic ring. And the rest is history! Well, not exactly. The following is a melee-sized piece of that history.

It wasn’t until I was working in a fine jewelry store after college that I began to appreciate real gemstones and fine jewelry. Every day I wore something different that complemented my outfit and reflected my mood. I got an education in gemstones and fabrication in a couple of notable fine jewelry stores in the Bay Area.

During an apprenticeship with a jewelry designer, I wielded a torch with a blazing foot-long flame, and melted fine gold with other alloys to create 22 karat gold. This was when my passion for gemstones married my fascination with metallurgy. There’s more history and you can imagine it all by looking at my jewelry, rather than reading words on a screen. Let’s have fun and play glamorous women together. Why not? Life is short, wear the jewels you love!