rough gemstones

Organic Alchemy: Raw, Rustic Jewelry

There is a movement, picking up steam, that celebrates jewelry in an organic style. This is not an old-school ideal of precision and alignment, polish and perfection, down to the inclusion-free gemstones so carefully set. This is jewelry with heft and soul, bearing the marks of its…

Fresh New Year, New Resolutions

I know people shrug their shoulders at New Year’s resolutions (“why bother?”) and this Popular Science article talks about why our brains make following resolutions so difficult. I watch my Hauteyoga studio and healthclub Zum become crowded…

Larger than Life: A Tribute to Gichuchu Okeno

I am numb. Stunned. Two weeks ago today I was FaceTiming with Gichuchu Okeno, gem dealer, mine owner, father, husband, and friend. And today he is gone. I’ll never hear his laugh again. It’s hard to reduce a life down to its essence, to mere words. Okeno…

Happy New Year! Words, Numbers and Intentions

Wow, 2015. A blur of beauty, experiences and great moments, from my first week in January at the GEM Awards and then faceting my own gemstone, to winning the Award for Excellence in Media from the Women’s Jewelry Association, to ending the year officially launching…

Announcing…ANZA Gems