12/09/2025
MY PAST
I grew up in a family of jewelers and entrepreneurs. Diamonds and gold are in my blood. Entrepreneurship runs in my veins.
It dates back to my great-grandfather, a goldsmith and watchmaker… to my grandfather, an expert in diamond sourcing and grading… to my parents, who own a jewelry store… and to my older brother , who specializes in rare vintage watches. But let’s dig into where my story truly began.
In the 1980s, my dad had a successful career as a CPA, but he and my mom found themselves longing for more freedom and a deeper purpose. That dream led them to purchase a jewelry store, C.W. Smith Jewelers, in the charming town of North Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
As a child, I’d tag along to the store with them. My first mission was always the same: secure the staff’s key ring. Those keys were my passport into the jewelry cases, where I’d sit and pretend to sell diamonds and engagement rings.
When my mom wasn’t selling at the store, she’d invite clients into our home. I vividly remember listening in as she educated them on what to look for in a quality diamond, helping them choose the perfect stone for their dream ring. That was my first introduction to the 4Cs—cut, color, clarity, and carat weight—concepts I absorbed as naturally as learning the alphabet.
With that deep family history and an unrelenting entrepreneurial spirit, launching my own jewelry brand felt inevitable. In 2018, I did just that. But it wasn’t a smooth road to that destination.
When the company I worked for abruptly shut down locations, I suddenly found myself without a job. Looking back, it kickstarted everything. That twist pushed me into helping my brother scale his watch business, and at the same time, I was working on ideas for a brand of my own.
The breakthrough came unexpectedly. One Christmas, after co-designing a custom diamond pendant with my mom for my other brother , I posted a video of it to my social media account. Almost instantly, my inbox flooded with people asking how they could create or buy something similar. That was the moment the lightbulb went off, and the moment my business was truly born.
