FINE JEWELRY / RARE COINS

CAMPBELL GOLD MINE INC. 408-559-0211   Gold Mine jewelry is created by Polish born artist Irena Iannamico “ By age six I told my Father to stop giving me “stupid gifts”for holidays and start giving me gold coins. I particularly liked the Austrian gold ducats. By age 16, I had a rather large collection. At 14 years of age I knew I wanted to become a jeweler. My parents felt that this would pass and that given my grade standings, I was better suited to a college education. They argued that becoming a jeweler was difficult for a woman and particularly so in a socialist country. My Father, so desperately wanted me to give up the idea, that he bribed the Principle of the Art and Jewelry Academy to discourage me from attending. This worked for about one year and I attended Prep School, which I hated. I finally decided to take matters into my own hands. Silver Tetra Drachm Ancient Greek Kingdom of Thrace Head of Deified Alexander the Great 14k White Gold Bezel .085 Carats Diamonds I quit school and used my gold coins to buy myself a private apprenticeship in jewelry history, fabrication and design. I completed my first piece in one week and the three year program in eight months. I then returned to Prep School and went on to college to study Art History and Restoration. I then put and end to the idea of jewelry being a bad profession in a socialist country by boarding a plane and coming to New York. 47th Street felt like home to me and I knew that this was were I belonged. I had a special tour of Tiffany’s manufacturing facility and loved every minute of it. I had grown up watching western movies and was fascinated with California and its history. The gold rush days were like a fairy tale to me. So to make my dream complete, I knew I had to come to California. Without speaking a word of English, I boarded a bus to San Diego and landed a job at the Flea Market, cutting gold names in Spanish while working for Russian jewelers. The first language I learned in the United States was Russian. Unlikely as this may seem, it helped me get a job with a Master Russian craftsman whose Grandfather worked for Faberge. I later worked for a Master stone carver where I developed a passion for Australian opals. I made the acquaintance of an Australian opal mine owner for whom I have been obtaining opals for the past 15 years. In 1990, I opened my own repair shop in Campbell where I did custom work and repairs for stores all over the United States. One of my favorite accounts was The Gold Mine which my husband and I purchased in the late 1990’s.” EXPERIENCE THE ART OF FINE JEWELRY FABRICATION