My business model was developed with two key ingredients: great rough and great customer service. Long before I sold my first stone, I was a collector of rough. From as long ago as I can remember, I was attracted to color. It’s a visceral reaction that I feel deeply and can keep me up for hours when I’m looking at stones. Those of you who have this condition know exactly what I’m referring to. I am one of you. It took me many years to go from a collector of rough to a dealer in rough. I spent the majority of my adult life building a business before selling it at the age of 39 and “retiring” for the first time. At one point, I began to learn to facet and have cut the occasional stone but have never sold a finished gem. To be completely honest, I’m not a very good cutter and my preference is rough anyway. Two things I have learned in this process: good rough is truly rare and good rough increases in value. I don’t sell commercial rough. My specialty is exceptional singles, with the occasional small parcel. More importantly, selling rough isn’t transactional for me. It’s a passion – one that is shared by my customers. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to pursue my passion and share it with so many of you. I remind myself daily that I don’t have to do this; I am privileged to do this.
It all started with faceting classes and my Grandma’s Ultra-Tec. The hobby became a passion and my curious nature just kept leading me further into this glittering, colorful Gem World. My background is in science and I was raised by a Geologist - rocks have always been a part of my life. Every road trip had a Roadside Geology book. It all fatefully led me to a presentation by Joe at my Faceting Guild where I spontaneously asked him for a job. I was hired as the “shipping girl,” but I quickly evolved in the role as Joe nurtured my curiosity and creativity. These days I sling rocks across our numerous sales platforms. I do my best to keep up with the voracious appetite of our rock community! Working at Joe Henley Rough & Gemstones has been an incredible, wild ride that has been full of laughter and wonder. I take immense pride in my work and the international community we serve. #grateful
I had a mild interest in stones as a child, but it became an obsession as my artistic nature bloomed. The permanency of a stone's look became very alluring to me as I searched for ways to make my artwork last for generations. Happening upon Joe's Instagram page, I was dazzled by the splendor that is posted regularly, and was lucky enough to catch a job opening when one became available. I feel blessed to have found a job that involves such great products, and even greater people! Supplying the world with such beauty amazes me almost as much as the number of rocks we go through! Being exposed to such amazing material and knowledge here at Joe Henley Rough makes me even more excited to see how my artwork progresses. Everyday for me truly is a gem show!
My love affair with gems started at a very young age. Show something sparkly to little 3-year-old me and I would gaze at it like it was magical; then promptly try to add it to my hoard. That tendency has not changed, only now I know exactly what I’m looking at and my hoard has gotten more varied. Along the way, I also discovered art and photography and those passions quickly became just as beloved. Over the last couple of decades, I’ve worked in various aspects of the jewelry industry. Nothing ever felt exactly right, although I did learn quite a bit at each stop. After a six-year stint at the Gemological Institute of America as diamond grader, a graduate gemologist degree, and a Bachelors in Fine Art, I’ve finally found a perfect marriage of my gem, art and photography obsessions here at Joe Henley Rough. Gems are tiny works of art and absolutely deserve to be shown with their best ‘facet’ forward. I could not be any happier and I’m looking forward to many years here at JHR and all the sparklies I can handle!
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