Owner Profiles
Steve Saint Louis has
been in
the fine jewelry industry for almost 30 years; involved
in practically every facet of the jewelry design trade. Essentially,
what started as a proclivity for working around all things
beautiful (yes, both gems and girls), over time, evolved
into a career of achievement and artistic acclaim.
Steve started his career working for a few of the different
industry stalwarts, large chain (i.e. mall) jewelers whereby
the only qualifications for employment were passing a background
check, and cleaning up nice. Candidly, these types of stores
were great for getting some industry exposure. Eventually,
Steve tired of the, in most cases, substandard product
and ubiquitous 50% off sale signs that festooned the stores.
Steve sensed that his then budding design skills might
be better sharpened in a different venue.
Steve packed up his sketch pads and the assorted detritus
of jewelry design, and proceeded to work for a couple of
smaller, high-end independent jewelers. It was at this
level that he came into his own as an “out of the
box” creative thinker when designing for the respective
store’s clientele. Additionally, working in environments
that featured some of the industries finest design talent,
Steve was exposed to myriad different forms of fine jewelry
expression. Ever the rugged individualist, after several
years, he decided the time was right for him to venture
out on his own, and make his unique mark on the industry.
Steve, and his wife Donna, took over a year to assemble
all of the component elements necessary to create a jewelry
store that would both resonate with comfort and uniqueness
for their community, and become a destination for showing
the expansive creative reach of some of the world’s
top jewelry designers. Join us as we celebrate the work
and creative genius of our designers! Amazing, isn’t
it? What began as a simple search for gainful employment
almost thirty years ago has become a journey in the pursuit
of creative passion at Earthworks Gem Design Studio…naturally!
 Donna
Saint Louis' contribution
to the formation and success of Earthworks Gem Design Studio
has been extensive. She is a retail management veteran
of more than 20 years. Her experience entails merchandising,
human resource management, sales and marketing, and client
relations. Additionally, Donna’s almost 20 years
as a Licensed Optician positions her with a uniquely transferable
skill set to the fine jewelry industry. The science of
optics has always been an inextricable part of the study
and understanding of gemology. In fact, it was more the
rule than the exception to find a jewelry store that advertised
the presence of Jeweler/Opticians from the mid 1800’s
until just after World War One.
Another reflection of Donna’s contribution to the
success of Earthworks Gem Design Studio is in her keen
eye for detail and the necessity of useful business systems.
While Steve is off on one of his digressions of creative
fancy, it’s not the least bit uncommon to find Donna
slaving away at the interminable amounts of detail work
that accompany a business of this nature.
On a final note, Donna’s introduction to fine jewelry
was back in 1986 when she worked in sales for an esteemed
local custom jewelry store (Mark’s Jeweler’s)
here in Historic Downtown Kent!
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