Hello! I am an entrepreneur, gemologist, and gemstone faceting instructor currently based in the San Diego area.
About Gem Surprise Box:
In 2020 I set out to create a new STEM focused company to share my love of minerals with the world and co-founded Gem Surprise Box with my life and business partner of eleven years. Gem Surprise Box is now the fastest growing gemstone and mineral club in the world offering a selection of monthly memberships, personalized gifts for all occasions, customizable event mementos, and single seasonal boxes. Each Gem Surprise Box is beautifully packaged with the environment in mind using renewable and recycled materials with almost zero plastics. Beyond giving our customers an experience to remember month after month, Gem Surprise Box cares about the planet and wants to make it easy for our customers to care too.
In May 2022, our company was selected by the UCLA Alumni Association to be featured in their inaugural Bruin Business 100 initiative. This professional achievement recognizes 100 exceptional UCLA alumni entrepreneurs who founded businesses that have inspired innovation and expanded the Bruin network in a way that positively impacted their community.
www.GemSurprise.com
About Me
I have spent the last twelve years studying gemstones and earned degrees from GIA and UCLA in my pursuit of sparkle. In addition to running my business, sourcing gem material from around the world, and cutting gemstones, I enjoy creating cloisonné and plique-à-jour jewelry with classic hot enamel. Before entering the industry I was working in a clumped isotope laboratory at UCLA and found it to be less than I had hoped for. I had applied for a GIA scholarship the moment I learned about its existence and immediately committed when I received the scholarship that changed my life.
I deeply value education and the opportunity to share knowledge with my students and clientele. My groundbreaking Gemstone Faceting Theory Course was the first of its kind offered online starting in 2020 with the goal of being accessible without requiring students to invest in costly lapidary equipment. I am currently working on the second edition of the course.
Community
- I have been a member and volunteer with the Women’s Jewelry Association (WJA) since 2016. I served as the President of the San Diego Chapter of WJA from 2020-2021 and currently hold the title of Vice President of Programming where I continue my work of uplifting women in the jewelry industry. I have held every position on our board with the exception of Treasurer. In 2018 I was honored to be selected by my chapter to receive the WJA Shining Star Award.
- I was chosen to receive the 2019 Rising Star Alumni Award from the College of the Canyons Foundation.
- I was recruited to the board of the United States Faceting Guild (USFG) as their youngest Director in 2021.
- I have been lucky enough to receive several WJA Member Grants during my time with the organization and was most recently awarded a WJA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Grant in 2022.
- In 2022 I joined the Program Advisory Committee at GIA where I will be working on continuing to elevate the student academic experience.