Gems by Jake

Company Description:

What's the difference between Gems By Jake and other jewelers? Some jewelers buy finished stones and then make settings for them. Other jewelers buy the stones and the settings, put them together and sell them as thrown. Many just buy finished pieces and they're just the salesman. Very few jewelers actually do the lapidary work (lapidary is the cutting and polishing of raw stones) on the stones AND create the settings for each stone. And, almost no jewelers go out and find the raw stones, turn that raw stone into a finished gem, and create the setting for the stone.

Many of the gems in Jake's collection were found by Jake himself during his travels across the country and Canada. Jake visits abandoned mines and public lands, as well as working mines that allow the public to search their tailings, to find the stones he uses in his jewelry. Of course, there are a lot of stones that are from other parts of the world, and Jake looks for these stones in rock and gem shows, and rock shops. But Jake always buys the raw material and creates the gemstone himself. He never buys a finished stone and he strives to create unique, free form and unusual pieces that aren't "runoff the mill" types of jewelry, that feature the natural characteristics of the stone.

Jake (Dan Jacobson) worked for many years as a lawyer, but got tired of the practice of law and wanted to do something new and different. About 14 years ago he went to Alaska on vacation and spent some time prospecting for gold. Being in Alaska, in the wilderness and digging for gold was something that was special and exciting, and definitely different! When he was offered the opportunity to buy into a gold mine, he took it. So, every year Jake would drive to Alaska, stopping along the way to look for gemstones - emeralds in N. Carolina, fire agate in Arizona, turquoise in Nevada, fire opals in Idaho, jade in British Columbia, amethyst in Ontario, to name a few. Then, he thought how much fun it would be to turn these raw stones into jewelry, so he learned the lapidary and metal working arts, and began to create his own handmade jewelry. Jakes take care that his jewelry has a rugged, natural look. Take a look and you'll see why Gems By Jake is different from all the rest. And, ask to see some natural gold nuggets, all found by Jake himself in Alaska!

New Products

Now offering finished stones! Make your own setting or pick a stone and let Jake make you a custom setting.

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