Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but the Intergem Gem and Jewelry Show had more than just diamonds.
The show took place from March 16-18 in the San Mateo County Event Center. It boasted a list of over 100 sellers.
The gems sold were varying, with all of them coming from various parts of the world. Some were sold as jewelry while others were sold as loose stones.
The salespeople came from different backgrounds with some choosing to go into the jewelry sale industry because of family members or friends who were also in the business, some had extra items that they needed to sell, while some simply had a passion for gems.
“I was loving gemstones like emeralds, rubies, and sapphires. I started collecting them and traveling to different countries to get more of them. I always had a design in my head and a vision of what I wanted to make and sell,” said Asad Mojeddeddi, a vendor from Dazzling Jewelers.
Jamie Juno, the founder of Juno Jewelry, was previously a graphic designer and got into jewelry design. He also enjoys how there are many different stones and design choices and the uniqueness of each piece.
“I love meeting new people and giving them a design that helps distinguish them and set them apart from everyone else,” Juno said.
Loose gemstones at Soul Currents. Loose gemstones, as compared to gems in jewelry, are naturally shaped stones that are sold either for display or to make your own jewelry out of them.
Along with the gems, Wendy Simpson Conner, a jewelry designer and stylist, also made an appearance to teach about making jewelry. Conner has written 15 books and all are on jewelry. She has also taught numerous classes around the country on beading and making jewelry.
Conner had been making jewelry for as long and she could remember.
“My grandma did it professionally; I’ve been doing it my whole life,” Conner said.
Conner believes anyone can become good at making jewelry, and they can have fun with it, too, regardless of if they have past experience or not. She recommends for beginners to start out with earrings first.
“Earrings don’t take that long to make, and it doesn’t use too many materials. If you want to make jewelry as a source of income, I suggest that you start with earrings,” Conner said.
She also upholds a positive attitude with her work and hopes her students retain it as well. One piece of advice she has is to not negatively compare yourself to others, but rather to learn from their work and improve.
“Be good to yourself, and don’t stress out. You can’t paint the Mona Lisa the first time you pick up a paintbrush. The same goes for jewelry, and anything, really. Don’t be hard on yourself if you don’t get it right the first time,” Conner said.
