Today we’d like to introduce you to Lo Combs.
Lo, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My life has been an interesting journey to say the least! I’d say gems and jewelry has always been intertwined as far back as I can remember. With my father owning his own fine art and antique business, Mahalo Antiques & Modern Design, and my mother working for a renowned high end local jewelry store, I observed the gem and jewelry world from the inside out. My after-school hours were filled accompanying my mother on jewelry runs to the Jewelry Exchange off of 6th St. to picking up melee off the ground as the bench jeweler was working away. This early exposure sparked a life-long fascination that would later turn into a career.
After college, I found myself working for Zales in Carlsbad – a place that felt more like a family than a workplace. It was there that I discovered an opportunity to become a diamond grader at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) laboratory. The idea was mind-blowing for my young twenty-something year old self. A diamond grader?! That was a thing?! It sounded incredibly exotic and exciting. I knew I had to seize the opportunity – and I did. After a rigorous interview process, I was accepted and spent nearly a decade there, first as a diamond grader and later as a gemology instructor. I loved working somewhere where I knew I could truly make a tangible positive impact and I’m grateful for that chapter of my life.
Life, however, has a funny way of coming full circle. I reconnected with my former boss from Zales, who I had always admired and maintained a close friendship with and she introduced me to an opportunity with her new company. The role involved developing a retail luxury jewelry brand adjacent to the company she worked for and essentially building and designing it from scratch. Despite my initial doubts about whether I was up for such a Goliath task, I decided to jump in with both feet and what a wild ride it’s been! It’s interesting though – had she not given me a shot many years ago and then still endorsing me 12-13 years later, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I truly owe her a lot.
And so, here I am today – learning, growing, and facing new challenges every day in this ever-changing, illustrious industry. It’s been a whirlwind of experiences, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
To say my journey has been a walk in the park would be a massive understatement! I’ll skip the childhood tales and focus more on the present struggles, but let’s just say that wasn’t all sunshine and daisies either. Coming from humble beginnings to now being fully immersed in a luxury industry was no small feat or short journey.
Juggling the responsibilities of being a single parent, dealing with chronic health issues while nurturing a career is a Herculean task (not to mention being a woman and minority in a very male dominated industry). It’s a daily grind that’s not for the weak-willed, but I love it and wouldn’t have it any other way. I push myself to the limit every day. Not because I’m some sort of superhero by any means, but simply because I have to and I want to. No one else is going to step up and do it for me. Nor should they!
Admittedly, I do take a certain pride in overcoming as much as I have in my life; but the truth is, it’s exhausting! I’m sure many others can relate, right? But what other option is there other than to keep putting one foot in front of the other and strive to do your best everyday? To challenge what we are made of, push our capabilities, and shatter glass ceilings. We all strive to build a stronger future for ourselves and our loved ones. I want my son to look at me and be proud of what I’ve built for us and truly know nothing is impossible. That’s the motivator.
As you know, we’re big fans of Caveman Gems. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Caveman Gems was built and inspired by the rough, but dedicated hands of artisanal miners and the deep connections and relationships built with them by our founder, David. From Sri Lanka to Nigeria, Cambodia to Ethiopia, Burma to Thailand, our president and founder has traveled the world building close relationships with artisanal miners to ensure we are supporting the faces, hands, and hearts behind the stones we offer. We work to nurture those bonds to ensure that we can provide our community with actual sustainable and ethically sourced gemstones. Many claim it, very few can prove it – and we can.
We specialize in the finest, highest echelon of gemstones – offering top tier Alexandrites, Sapphires, Zircons, Opal and so much more. All small batch sourced personally from the hands that unearthed them. We are extremely proud of that. The finished jewelry we offer are all limited edition made. There’s not hundreds, there’s only five or ten – in many cases maybe just only one. We love helping our clients create custom pieces of heirloom quality and partner some of the most revered jewelers in the industry. Last, but certainly not least, we offer hosted invite-only concierge-style events for an intimate and private luxury buying experience.
We celebrate rarity. We celebrate uniqueness. We celebrate individual, truly bespoke one-of-a-kind beauty. We aren’t a department store, but I think that’s our strength – knowing we do everything with the highest regard to detail and intention, all the way from the earth to your hand. Let us help you design something magical. That’s what we live for.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
That’s a very interesting question! I don’t think I’ve been asked that before. It could be creativity – both in art and conceptually, alway approaching what’s in front of me from a multi-lens, multi-angle viewpoint. It could be authenticity – what you see is what you get type deal. It could be tenacity and my unrelenting stubbornness to keep moving the bar. Could be unending curiosity and my love to explore both interests and non-interests and pursue them with vigor. Maybe it’s intentionality – knowing I do things purposefully and to my highest ability. But I’d say it’s all of the ingredients… even the little parts. It’s the whole dang recipe! I guess to some I’m considered successful, but I’m also a work in progress – but that’s the exciting part, isn’t it? The opportunity to keep growing if you allow yourself to and in ways that you wouldn’t expect.
Pricing:
- $50-500 Fine Silver Pieces
- $800-50,000 Finished Gold Pieces
- $20-100,000 Loose Fine Gemstones
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cavemangems.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caveman.gems/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lo-combs-b31173314/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@cavemangems/videos
- Yelp: https://biz.yelp.com/biz_info/rjqCU0MpTsDHxMxjqoJ7RA
