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Donna Chambers is a fine jewelry designer, goldsmith and entrepreneur whose talent, hard work and dedication have allowed her to achieve an enviable level of success. With a personal desire to make jewelry to last a lifetime, Chambers has combined her enthusiasm and a little magic to create a classic success story.
A native of Ossining, NY, Chambers started her career at an early age by designing textiles for Vera Linens and Oleg Cassini. In 1968, she enrolled at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY, from which she graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts, majoring in fashion design.
In 1976, Chambers became part owner of a jewelry repair shop that serviced 15 neighborhood jewelers in Brooklyn, NY, as well as A&S Department Stores. Eventually, after refining her jewelry design skills, she created the Donna Chambers Collection, a line of 14-karat gold and cultured pearl earrings and pins.
“The most rewarding aspect of creating a piece of jewelry is to see a jewelry buyer get excited about a new design, place an order, sell the product and order it again,” says Chambers, whose collection has been carried by major retailers such as Bloomingdale’s, The Museum Company, Fortunoff’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and many retail jewelry stores from coast to coast.
Today, Chambers is also owner of an ethnic gift and book shop in White Plains, NY, That Old Black Magic, which houses the manufacturing facility for her fine jewelry designs. Her jewelry has been exhibited at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC, and at the Boston Museum of Art. She has won the International Pearl Design Contest, the 1992 Women’s Jewelry Association Annual Award of Excellence in Manufacturing, and the 1995 Blenheim Award for Design Excellence.
“The jewelry industry is filled with opportunities for individuals with creative inspiration,” Chambers says. “Designers like me are able to share their creations with people all over the country who wear and enjoy fine jewelry. It’s quite a rewarding career.”
JEWELERS OF AMERICA
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