Jessica Herman

Good things don't always land at your front door, or even in your city. Oak Park's new jewelry store, Gem: A Jewelry Boutique (159 North Marion), is a diamond in the rough.

Owner and designer Laura Kitsos points out that she only carries black diamonds. Drawn to the intensity of stones' natural colors, Kitsos uses the gem as the nucleus of her creative process. The northern suburbs native began her career informally behind the counter of a high-end boutique in Portland, Oregon, working on original beaded wares during slow store hours. It wasn't until she took a course in metal-smithing that she realized her hobby's potential.

"I remember when I was a little girl and I saw `Flashdance,' and she was welding," she says, standing in the middle of her Robin's Egg-colored shop. "I guess I've always been fascinated by that masculine thing, taking the torch and hammer and creating something beautiful."

Admittedly gravitating towards shades of blue and pink, Kitsos' current selection of one-of-a-kinds is largely dominated by pink tourmaline, rubies, Peruvian opal and aquamarine. She works primarily with 18k Indian gold, a richer, warmer metal in comparison to its American cousin. Though characteristically minimalist, many of her designs are influenced by an Indian aesthetic. She points out a hand-dyed silk ribbon necklace adorned with a wide chain of hammered gold and a suspended gemstone and single strands of brushed gold leaves for earrings. Slightly more elaborate looks include two grape-like clusters of rubies for earrings and chunky necklaces with vintage pendants. A handful of her handmade rings nest in a plate of uncooked rice beside a raw chunk of amethyst. The prices average around $68-$150.

The remaining twenty percent of the boutique that's not filled with Kitsos' designs showcases jewelry by a few other local designers. She points out a necklace by Rhode Island School of Design graduate Rebecca Zelis--a mosaic composed of smooth shards of sea glass. For those who are not looking for jewelry, she sells natural unisex perfumes, a handful of Mud Australia ceramics, glitzy vintage purses and an occasional Victorian jewelry box.

(2005-01-11)

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If you can wait an entire year anticipating the moment that the clock strikes midnight on December 31, you can easily allow yourself to be immersed in the musical experience that is Black Violin for one night
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Dziner clothes
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No sweatshop
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Designs for living
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The craft of giving
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Plush and stuff
(2004-11-22)

Fur or Faux?
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Body food
(2004-11-10)

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