Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2008, 6:17 pm
New jewelry shop will be a gem for Rock IslandComment on this story
After years of selling her original creations at art shows and trunk sales, Mindy Diaz will open her own jewelry store, Inspiredesign Jewelry, today in Rock Island. The new jeweler at 1815 24th St., will feature Ms. Diaz's own handiwork in sterling silver and 14-karat gold. She also will do minor watch repair. Ms. Diaz attended her first gem and mineral show when she was 7 and designed her first piece of jewelry when she was 12. She took her first studio art class when she was in junior high and began working with her first local jeweler at 17. Now, after 29 years of working for Quad-Cities jewelers, she decided to draw on her family's entrepreneurial heritage and start her own custom-jewelry business. Her great-great-great-grandfather, Fred Boetje, founded Boetje Mustard in the late 1800s and her grandfather, Charlie Boetje, started Boetje's Salads three generations later. "It's in my blood," she said, adding that she obtained financial assistance from Rock Island's commercial-industrial revolving loan fund for new businesses, and Black Hawk Bank & Trust. Ms. Diaz has developed a flair for unique pendants and has a following. "My customers want something they won't see anywhere else," she said. "People are very connected to their stones and rings." Every gemstone has a unique energy and every piece of jewelry has a story, she said. When she sits down to create a piece, Ms. Diaz said she "just plays (with it) until it feels right.'' She rarely sketches a design beforehand. The first piece she ever sold was at an art show in Iowa City for a new mother of twins. One of the babies had died. She wanted a piece to wear close to her heart to commemorate the joy she felt for the infant who lived and the profound sadness for the one lost. "The kind of jewelry I do is very personal," and comes with stories and tears, she said. "It's a good feeling to have something you created move people." Her largest piece -- a blue topaz collar -- "makes a statement," she said. Ms. Diaz recently designed a wedding ring -- in two days -- to match the bride's engagement ring before the bridal couple headed out of state to be married. She hopes all her custom work is not so rushed. She also enjoys working with family heirlooms when the owner wants a new setting or new piece of jewelry. Ms. Diaz, the parent of two teenagers, and a massage therapist and reiki practitioner, said the feldspar labradorite is her favorite stone "because it feels magical to me." Her other favorite is green amethyst. Her inventory ranges in price from $20 to several thousands, she said. Her on-the-job training with Brooks Jewelers in downtown Rock Island, Expressions and McGivern's Jewelers in Davenport prepared her for store ownership, she said. She has received professional training and certification in advanced stone setting with the Gemological Institute of America and is completing a master bench jeweler certification with the trade association Jewelers of America. She plans to remain with McGivern's part-time after opening her own store. She has hired two employees, a nephew, Nick DeMink, 19, an apprentice, and Jessica Pavlicek, office assistant. If you go there: Inspiredesign Jewelry |
