Our Story
Given Gold Jewelers began on Piedmont Ave. in 1974. Today we are staffed by Owner Dan E. West, Master Jeweler Cresson Kearny and our imported designer Damian Wainschtein.
Dan started, as many of us do, as a childhood rock hound. Those family car trips were highlighted by searching the ground for cool rocks at any rest stop or tourist trap that Dad would actually stop at. An initial career as a dental technician gave an exposure to working with gold, and inspired the move to doing something more creative with that gold. Since then, courses at the Gemological Institue of America and apprenticeships with generous and skilled craftsmen have helped to shape and refine Dan's talents and design vision. Dan has owned Given Gold Jewelers since 1991.
Cress has been with Given Gold since 1979. Also a young admirer of geology, he grew up in the fossil country of Colorado. His passion is still agatized Dinosaur bone. Cress graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in Art History. He soon learned that he enjoys making his own art more than studying others'. We all feel fortunate that Cress chose to make his avocation his vocation as well.
Damian grew up in Buenos Aries, Argentina. There he studied jewelry design and manufacturing in a vocational setting from an early age, progressing to the university level. In Buenos Aries, Damian worked in a variety of venues from fine jewelry designers to volume manufactures in gold and silver. We like to think that Damian brings a more youthful, exotic flavor to the mix at Given Gold.
Dan started, as many of us do, as a childhood rock hound. Those family car trips were highlighted by searching the ground for cool rocks at any rest stop or tourist trap that Dad would actually stop at. An initial career as a dental technician gave an exposure to working with gold, and inspired the move to doing something more creative with that gold. Since then, courses at the Gemological Institue of America and apprenticeships with generous and skilled craftsmen have helped to shape and refine Dan's talents and design vision. Dan has owned Given Gold Jewelers since 1991.
Cress has been with Given Gold since 1979. Also a young admirer of geology, he grew up in the fossil country of Colorado. His passion is still agatized Dinosaur bone. Cress graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in Art History. He soon learned that he enjoys making his own art more than studying others'. We all feel fortunate that Cress chose to make his avocation his vocation as well.
Damian grew up in Buenos Aries, Argentina. There he studied jewelry design and manufacturing in a vocational setting from an early age, progressing to the university level. In Buenos Aries, Damian worked in a variety of venues from fine jewelry designers to volume manufactures in gold and silver. We like to think that Damian brings a more youthful, exotic flavor to the mix at Given Gold.