I’ve always had an interest in beautiful things, thanks to my mother, a professional artist, and my father, a lifelong collector of gems, minerals, and other exotic treasures from around the world.

I received a Bachelors degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management at Northern Arizona University and worked for a time at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, but I knew there was more out there for me. That’s why I jumped at the chance to travel to Nairobi and learn the tanzanite business there, learning everything I could about gems and laying the groundwork for my true life’s work.