Interview With Megan

Interview with Megan Huffaker,

Owner and Lead Designer at Tesoro Bella Jewelry

Megan Huffaker is a 36 year old stay-at-home mother who earned a Bachelor of Science degree with an emphasis in Genetics.  She became interested in jewelry after returning home from Russia where she and her husband adopted their two boys.  She missed her science, but felt that her children really needed the constancy of her being at home, especially during their first years of adjustment into family life after living in orphanages.  Still, she longed for the creative and intellectual challenges and stimulation she had loved in her scientific career.  "I've always loved jewelry, and in Russia they have a beautiful custom of giving a little thank you gift to those who help you in the course of your business.  I spent a lot of time looking for the perfect thank you's and ended up with a great appreciation and love of gemstones and silver.  The desire to design my own pieces came from a frustrated attempt to find something that was 'just right' and blossomed into a satisfying creative outlet that I don't know how I'd ever do without." 

Megan sees a special purpose for the handmade, artisan jewelry community.  "Women deserve to feel precious, and gemstone jewelry can do that for us.  But not all of us can afford the 'real thing' at department store prices.  That is why I started Tesoro Bella.  We find our gemstones all over the world, from many reputable sources.  Many of them come from reliable auction houses where we get great deals on gemstones and the added bonus of licensed appraisers who have valued the stones.  This is how we know that our products are worth far more than what we sell them for."  She further explains that this kind of shopping around is more characteristic of the independent artisan community since they don't need to find their gems and materials in large quantities for the purpose of making the same pieces over and over.

"Sometimes the customer will be getting a fantastic deal, and other times they will be paying closer to what the materials are worth, depending on how good of a deal we got in buying those particular materials.  Where you see ' suggested retail price ' in any Tesoro Bella description, those prices are based on the lowest estimated value of the gemstones given by lisenced appraisers combined with the worth of the other materials used.  We do not figure in any extra worth based on design or labor, so basically our 'suggested retail value's are the actual worth of the materials in the piece.  And we only include this information for the stones that have been assigned an estimated worth by a reliable source."

Megan is pleased to be among those who design and sell for the love of it.  "Recently, I saw a gorgeous necklace and bracelet in an upscale magazine and thought, 'I could do that'.  They were selling the bracelet alone for $165.00 and I recreated it for under $30."  Megan went on to explain the necessity of markup in the jewelry business due to the high cost of materials and overhead coupled with the relatively low % of inventory sold compared to other business markets but adds, "It just goes to show that fine jewelry doesn't have to be so intimidating and pricey.  Many people are paying for the name and not the piece."  But Megan believes that things are changing.  "We as a society are getting back to our roots, where artisans draw much of their inspiration.  And more and more people want unique pieces, not ones that are being worn by masses of people or being sold in bulk at major chain stores, and in these and many other ways, independent artisans are definitely finding a voice among people from all walks of life with a love and appreciation of fine, fun, and unique jewelry."

Megan is joined in design, creation, and distribution by her sisters Becky, Katie, and Chris, by her nieces Kathryn (Kat) and Maddeline, by her parents Jay and Rosie, and by her close friend Kari.  "These and all of our customers, especially those who request custom pieces which challenge us and increase our knowledge and skills, are a part of the Tesoro Bella family."