"30 YEAR ANNIVERSARY"
A THANK YOU TO OUR CUSTOMERS AND MR. OKA STEWART

Isn't it amazing how one person, and one situation can change the course of your life? This is certainly what happened in my life. When I was 9 years old, myself and a few camper friends were playing along the stream in Topanga Canyon, California. As we were playing, and splashing water at each other, a large boulder seemed to catch our attention. We went closer to investigate, because it just seemed to be better than any of the other rocks around. The closer we got, the better it looked. Well, we knew the owner of the property, Mr. Oka Stewart, was into cutting these gems and making them into beautiful jewelry. So, we pushed and rolled this rock up the mountain to his house. As luck would have it, it turned out to be a fine example of plume agate! Mr. Stewart proceeded to cut this into cabochons, and gave each one of us a finished stone. I was hooked! Over the next few years, I learned how to cut gems and when I moved out on my own, worked as a gem cutter to make a living. But, I noticed how difficult it was to find a reliable source for good gem cutting material. So, 30 years ago in 1977, I decided to start my own business, with the idea of bringing good quality rough gems to professionals and hobbyist cutters alike.

So, here it is over 30 years later since I started New Era Gems, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of my customers for making it possible to celebrate 30 years in business. I would also like to thank Mr. Stewart. He has since passed away, but he will always live in my thoughts.

Steve Ulatowski
Owner-New Era Gems