BIO | jewelrybyjames

Before I got into the Jewelry Business, I had a friend O’Neal that went to Goldsmithing School to learn how to repair and create Custom Jewelry. I spent Meany hours in his shop learning the basics of Goldsmithing. After casting and finishing a ring I hooked into learning more and buying my own equipment.

O’Neal took me down to the Miners Den Jewelers in Royal Oak Michigan to buy some Jewelry equipment ; I spent $2,800.00 on Jewelry equipment to get started. I first started doing General Jewelry Repair. Later on I found out about a man name Bill Gardner that had a Jewelry supply place in Williamston Mi. so I went out to see him. Bill and I became good friends after buying Meany supplies from his store. Bill decided he needed a bigger place; he bought a building in town where he lived. He told me about trying to move all his supplies and equipment in the new store; I offered to help him move everything to his new store, at the end of that weekend he invited me to his home to have dinner with his family. Helping Bill like I did open the door for me to a start of a good friendship with Bill and his wife Alice. Bill showed me things I didn’t know about in Goldsmithing which helped me a lot. I eventually bought my casting equipment from Bill, but at the time I didn’t have all the money to purchase the casting equipment so he told me to take all of it home with me and I could pay him back in the next ninety days, I was very excited about his offer, I took him up on it. I ended up making enough to pay Bill off in sixty days.

After sometime I made up several different pieces of Jewelry , I went to Downtown Lansing and was showing some of my Jewelry to different business owners, to see if they would be willing to put my Jewelry in there store. There was one store owner Mark Wareing that owned the Scottish Thistle Shop, Mark Wareing took a liking to my Jewelry and said he would be willing try it on consignment, which it turned out to be a great thing, I ended up selling many pieces of Jewelry in Marks Store and did some custom pieces as well, Mark and his wife Becky are still very good friend with my wife and I. There was a man name Jon Arendsen that was a well known Jewelry designer in Lansing that use to come in Scottish Thistle to see Mark. Mark had told me that Jon admired my Jewelry I made, one day Mark introduce John and I, and later we became friends, John invited me up to his shop and showed me some of his work that I admired very much. Jon gave me some ideas of some different designs I could create, which I have made many pieces from his help, which I appreciate.

Spending time downtown I had gotten to know a well know Jeweler at Linn and Owen named Stuart Powell, Stuart and I became friends threw the years, he had helped me on jobs that I was attempting to do, which was very helpful to me. Later I ended up doing a casting job for Stuart that was a Logo of the old Lansing Club. From then on Stuart I became close friends, and every Christmas I would bring him my homemade Cannoli’s, Italian sausage and my homemade red wine.

About five years ago my wife went into Just Pawn Jewelry store, my wife was talking to Joe Bulo the owner and was telling him about how I do Jewelry repair, Joe was in need of a Jeweler for repairs, so I ended up stopping by Joe’s store and he ended up using me for his repairs and custom work. Which know I do repairs for two of his stores.

God has blessed me with the talent of making Jewelry, through the years of being in the Jewelry Business, I have been very fortunate, so I been giving back to different charities every year to help them raise money for their cause.

One of my special pieces I make each year has been for the Grand Hotel, I have made cufflinks and Ladies Pendants with their Logo, last year I designed a Turtle pendant that’s in their fine Jewelry store. It has been Thirteen years I’ve had the privilege of working with and having the friendship with Mimi Cunningham and Suzie Ashley the two buyers at the Grand Hotel.

Some of the people I have had the privilege of making Jewelry for are Governor John Engler, President Bill Clinton, Martha Stewart, Howard Stern, Sirius Satellite Radio, Governor Jennifer Granholm, George Perlis, Tom Izzo, Suzy Merchant, Frank Cassara, Gene Wriggelsworth and Jamie Farr.

It has been a very special to me to come as far as I have in the Jewelry Business for 27 years, I want to thank all the people that help me along the way, I have met some very nice people, and cherished some very special relationships from it .