Finding My Earring Goldsmith

I am fortunate to have my earrings made by one of the best goldsmiths in the business. Let’s call him David, as I have been sworn to secrecy. He’s an old world style craftsman, who makes pieces for many of the best jewelry brands in the country. We have been working closely since the second year of my business, and together created the design for our interchangeable earrings.

You may be asking yourself—how did Heidi manage to land such a talent? Serendipity. The story may seem hard to believe, but it’s true.  

It all began when I was flying to my very first gem show in Tucson, Arizona. Stuck in the middle seat, I struck up a conversation with the women on either side of me. It turns out I was seated between a mother and daughter pair also headed to the gem show.

The mother was a buyer for Shreve and Co, one of California's oldest jewelers, and a past president of the Gem Society. Naturally we got talking about our love of jewelry, and the subject of making earrings came up.

During our conversation, I mentioned to them that I was in search of a goldsmith. The daughter to my right blurted out that they knew the best goldsmith in Northern California. The mother shot her a cold and evil look, and in that instant I knew I had stumbled upon something—an industry secret had just been let out of the bag. This cheap middle seat had turned into the most valuable place on the entire planet.  

I quickly responded, asking the daughter if she would introduce me to this mystery man. The mother interrupted, and her short answer was no. She explained how he was too busy, and would never take on a new client. Being well mannered and polite, I let it be.

I saw them several times throughout the show, and was very friendly, as you can imagine. What happened on my flight home may have been blind luck or an angel watching out for me.

Guess who was in my row, on my return flight? None other than the mystery goldsmith. We had a great conversation the whole way back to San Francisco. After our chat on the flight, he was open to working with me. But, he made me swear not to give away his name or use him for personal projects. (Two promises I have kept to this day). And with that stroke of luck, I had found my new goldsmith.  

You are the direct beneficiary of this good fortune. David is an incredible talent with classic taste.  He leads a robust workshop full of talented artisans, who continuously turn out one beautiful piece after another. Over the last several years, we have developed a wonderful working relationship. Even though I may be his smallest client, I am his favorite.