5 Year Anniversary for Gem Gossip

I wrote my first ever blog post for Gem Gossip on July 11, 2008…five years ago!  I can still remember exactly where and what I was thinking.  I also vividly remember the feeling I got when I had seen that seven people visited Gem Gossip that day….SEVEN…YAY.  It was a feeling unlike any other–a different kind of sense of accomplishment.  It wasn’t long before what I had set out to create soon became much more than a passion and interacting with my readers was the coolest thing ever.  

I started getting into photography and loved snapping creative pictures using jewelry.  Once I started interviewing designers, a whole new realm opened up, and a new aspect of Gem Gossip was born.  Seeing what each designer had to say and why they started creating jewelry was so fascinating to me.  Every person’s story was unique and different.  And I was grateful that they took the time to tell me a piece of their history.  

One of my goals that I recorded before starting all of this was, “Get to go to a jewelry show someday…like maybe the one in Vegas?!”  I chuckle at this because I remember writing it down and thinking that it was too big of a goal to accomplish, but I wrote it anyway.  Five years later, I’ve not only been to the show several times, but also a few others, like Miami and New York, with VIP passes in hand.  Crazy.

Education is huge to me, always has and always will be…that’s why when I first started writing five years ago, I would spend HOURS and HOURS Googling, reading jewelry books, studying designers’ websites, etc.  I do hate that I don’t have the time to read as much as I want to anymore, especially now since I’ve amassed a huge jewelry book collection.  But I want to change that.  Going to the Gemological Institute of America was a dream to me…I never thought I could go because it cost so much (and I kind of already had this thing called a Masters Degree that I never use). But I didn’t let that get in the way of my dreams.  I found a way and although it took me three years, I can now say that I am a Graduate Gemologist!  

A goal I never even wrote down because I thought it was totally out of my league was to someday have a line of jewelry.  This time last year, I was finishing up my last design out of my five-piece ring collection and pinching myself.  Now when I receive emails from happy customers or even photos of people wearing one of my rings, I can’t explain how amazing that feels.  

The best part of having Gem Gossip is the readers–I love interacting with everyone and opening up an email with an attachment for SHOW ME YOUR RINGS.  Seeing comments like “I love snake rings because of you…” or “I’m wearing an antique baby ring as a knuckle ring just like Gem Gossip!”  totally brightens my day.  So thank you!  

And thank you to every designer that has contributed somehow, someway to Gem Gossip!  I have met some amazing people through starting this blog, some who have changed my life and some who will forever be a part of my life.   

And thank you to Marion Fasel who not only created the awesome video above, but was and still is a huge role model for me as a jewelry writer/addict/lover.  I’ve been tearing out her column from my Instyle magazines since I could remember, and never thought I would someday sit and chat with her for 2 hours at a cafe in Vegas.  But it happened, and a lot has happened all because I followed my passion and dreamed big.