Gems that make you drool
If you happen to be driving along the 200 block of Lone Oak Road, you may notice an attractive new brick building nestled between a doctor’s office and a florist. A tall abstract metal sculpture near the sidewalk invites shoppers to stop and hints of wares to be found inside. The outside sign reads j.s. gwinn, the “newest kid” on the block, so to speak, in more ways than one. Have you guessed what kind of business this is yet?

After pushing open two sleek brown doors and stepping into an attractive sitting area, you will find a friendly white boxer jumping out of his skin to greet you. The four-legged Mortise, a constant companion to the owner of this design house, alerts Jimi Gwinn to your presence. This youthful and creative artisan is just the person to see if you are in need of a one-of-a-kind piece of luxury jewelry. His studio is also a full-service repair shop, and is the only jeweler in Paducah to perform all of its trade-work in-house.

While exploring a hobby of woodworking, Jimi realized how much he enjoyed collecting raw materials and crafting them into something beautiful, prized, and collectible. This particular ability and creativity has now been transposed into making jewelry via a long-time mentor, friend and instructor Leon McGary.

At the urging of his wise and retired jeweler friend, Jimi is in the final stages of attaining his Graduate Gemologist certification from the Gemological Institute of America.

At the same time, he has studied other special skills required to become a premier bench jeweler, such as goldsmithing, stonesetting, polishing, fabricating, and wax carving. By combining the latest in computer technology with Leon’s “old world” knowledge, training and experiences, this young local artisan is in the beginnings of what could be an illustrious career.

“I want my customers to know that custom jewelry is the pinnacle of personal fashion,” Jimi explains. “The difference between custom jewelry and that which is mass-produced can be compared to the difference in quality between a Mercedes and a used sub-compact. I offer a full spectrum of gemstones and diamonds for designs in gold or platinum casting.”

After submitting and entering his very first competition in Bench Magazine’s Annual Passion Awards contest, Jimi won first place with a J-22 sailboat pendant built to scale designed for local yachtsman Bill Pinkston. Congratulations are definitely in order for this passionate and interesting craftsman!

Jimi’s dog is cleverly named after a woodworking joint — mortise and tenon. I recognized his ingenuity and cleverness at an early age when he was one of my former kindergarten students. And what is the quote, “All I really need to know I learned in kindergarten?”

For more information visit www.jsgwinn.com.