By Emily Stegman

The microscope in Ruth Fitzgerald's store is used anywhere from 10 to 20 times a day, but not necessarily by the jewelry designer. It's not uncommon to find customers zooming in on a beautiful gemstone as they get an explanation of what they're seeing.

Ruth Fitzgerald, G.G., founding president of the Orange County Alumni chapter, says pursuing her love for jewelry design has always paid off. Photo courtesy of Ruth Fitzgerald.

An independent jeweler, Fitzgerald says nothing is more rewarding than educating her clients through the services she provides.

"One of my favorite things is to treat my clients fairly and make sure they understand gemstones," she says. "This is like a training center for the consumer because we have a ton of books, documents, microscopes and testing equipment to teach them what they need to know to make an educated purchase."

Fitzgerald says she has always placed great value on continuing education, which is why she earned her Graduate Gemologist (G.G.) diploma in 2004 after a career as the CEO and president of an economic development organization. She believes her outlet, Jewelry Designs by Ruth Fitzgerald, would not be successful without the education she received at GIA.

"You can't be in the upper-end jewelry business without being totally educated about what you're selling," Fitzgerald says. "GIA helped me get to that point."

Her early interest in jewelry design began more than 20 years ago when she started designing rings and pendants for friends. She eventually worked part time in a small design shop in Chicago, but felt she needed an extra push to move away from economic development and into the jewelry industry full time.

"I really had to get in the right mindset because I was so comfortable in my career," she says. "I was venturing into a field that was already full of great designers. But, eventually I just went for it and I've never looked back."

Fitzgerald moved from Chicago to Laguna Niguel, California to open a large retail store in 1997. Seven years later, she closed the retail store and moved her business across the street to a smaller studio to focus on jewelry design, a decision motivated by her GIA education.

"I had a real gap in my ability to progress as a designer, which is why I decided to earn my G.G. after a friend in the business told me about GIA," she says. "Not only is it necessary for my everyday work, but the credentials mean a lot to the consumer and give you a positive edge in this business."

Fitzgerald says she has grown incredibly as a designer since earning her G.G. She takes pride in using her GIA education to help customers discover the true value of their stones as soon as they come into her store, which often helps determine the direction of the design.

Her knack for quickly identifying gemstone quality recently helped Fitzgerald create a beautiful dragonfly brooch for a customer. She was given three individual pieces to make into one: an old eternity band set with three diamonds, one emerald earring and an emerald ring lined with diamond baguettes.

It took six weeks for Fitzgerald to design this dragonfly brooch from a client's old eternity band, single emerald earring and diamond-encrusted emerald ring. Photo courtesy of Ruth Fitzgerald.

"Dragonflies are symbols of good luck and when I saw the quality of the pieces and learned that they were very meaningful to my client, I suggested the design almost right away. It was one of my best!" she says.

She typically looks to the person the piece is for to gather inspiration for her designs. Fitzgerald likes to meet with her customers and get to know them before she considers what shapes, colors and materials to use.

In addition to creating pieces inspired by her clients, Fitzgerald makes original jewelry, redesigns old settings and maintains a major appraisal division.

"Now that I've made the career switch and opened my own store, I can say that I definitely work harder now. But, I like being on my own because I can let my creative juices flow as far as they'll go," she says.

"I feel like I've reached a higher level in my career; it's exhilarating!"

Support for Alumni Endowment

Fitzgerald stays up-to-date with the jewelry industry, and encourages other GIA alumni to do the same, as the founding president of the Orange County Alumni Chapter. The Southern California chapter was established in June 2005 and has 30 members who meet on a regular basis to discuss the industry's latest trends and learn from guest speakers.

"It is the educational updates from speakers that help us stay abreast of the newest research, treatments and other issues that impact our livelihoods," Fitzgerald says. "I support continuing education for GIA alumni wholeheartedly and want to see these programs increase in number, scope and value," she says.

The support Fitzgerald has received from GIA over the years is one reason she decided to donate $21,000 to the Alumni Endowment Fund, which was created in recent years to organize programs for GIA graduates. Her gift is the largest to that fund to date.

"I wouldn't be in business today if it hadn't been for GIA. I wanted to tell GIA how much it means to me to be a part of the Alumni Association and to be a graduate," she says. "It was my way of saying 'thank you'."

Fitzgerald previously made donations to the GIA Research Endowment Fund, which she believes is important for the industry's future. She hopes her first donation to the Alumni Endowment Fund will inspire others to follow suit and increase the Association's influence.

"I am positive that if every graduate looks deep into their business, they will find that being associated with GIA has impacted it in a major way.

"For me, the process of switching careers was refreshing and very empowering," she says. "I couldn't have made the change successfully without GIA."