Jewelry by a True Artist

Every once in a while, you meet someone in life who touches your heart. Chi Galatea Huynh, a jewelry designer from the Los Angeles area, is one of those people. The son of one of South Viet Nam's best known jewelers, Huynh learned his craft at his father's bench. The war (or, conflict, as we like to call it) sent his father to prison and Chi and his siblings scurrying to foreign lands for safety. Nearly killed by pirates as his boat languished in the sea of Thailand, Chi lost his fear and found his spiritual side. He was 12 years old.
He communicated in his new-found land by drawing pictures for the boys and girls in his middle school. He still draws today, and paints and writes poetry and, oh yes, designs jewelry.
Exceptional jewelry. Jewelry with, for lack of a better word, soul.
But there is tremendous genius there as well. Chi is the creator of the Diamond in a Pearl. Setting a diamond in a South Sea pearl might seem a no-brainer. But the level of craftsmanship needed to do such fine work is extraordinary. Working with small drills (like the kind your dentist uses to excavate your cavity-ridden teeth), he and his team of craftsmen drill a tiny hole in the pearl and fill it with a setting that holds--what else?--a small yet brilliant diamond. Note that the pearls are also carved with designs that range from flowers or waves. His latest venture? Working with the Vietnamese government (yes, he returned) to culture pearls enucleated with colored gemstone beads.

Stay tuned.


Diamond in a Pearl
by Chi Galatea Huynh

Galatea
Jewelry by Artist
548 W. Bonita Avenue
San Dimas, CA 91773
800-609-6888
www.diamondinapearl.com