Local is Cool - A Day In DTLA (Part 2)

My oldest mentor in the jewelry industry is Richie. Everybody knows him. That's what happens when you spend almost 40 years in one place. The jewelry district in LA has shrunken quite a bit over the years. Shops close up, some convert to restaurants, others remain vacant. But there's always Richie. He's a stone setter by trade, but he's also a family man. He's generous and extremely kind hearted - you can see it when he smiles. 

Quick note - just in case you didn't read Part 1 of this series, you should start there. 

Richie came to the states in the late 80's from Lebanon. He had seen civil war and the destruction of Lebanon and wanted out. He landed at his sisters' house in New Jersey and slowly made his way to LA. Although he had stone setting experience in Lebanon, he spent the next few decades honing his skills in downtown LA.

Our relationship is interesting. It's a blend between a father figure, a brother, an employee, and a best friend. When I'm enraged over shoddy work by someone else, he tells me to keep cool and not burn bridges in the industry. When he's having trouble collecting an outstanding balance from a young designer, he'll ask me to help him write a text message. It's give and take. He introduces me to people when I'm in need, he sets stones for many of my rings, and he regularly invites me to his house for kebab. Richie is the oldest member of the SKYDOG family. An integral part of the mix. 

I want to reiterate why we're writing this series. We're writing it to remind everyone that when you support local brands, you support the surrounding communities and the local artisans economies. This matters because stability (economic, cultural, spiritual, emotional etc.) begins at home. For me this means Orange County, this means So Cal, California, and the USA. Local is cool. Local is strong.

Thank you for reading. Hang around for parts 3 & 4 to meet the gents who cast our pieces and our engraver.

With Love,

Jordan, Tif, + Josie