Lifestyle

Your Style, Your Way: Why Customers Love The Rare Gemstone Company’s ‘Design Your Own’ Jewelry Service

Published

1 year ago

October 29, 2024

Michelle Langton

Photo courtesy of The Rare Gemstone Company (CAD Designer at work at The Rare Gemstone Company)

By: Georgette Virgo

In the era of personalization, consumers increasingly seek products that reflect their unique tastes and preferences. This trend is particularly evident in the jewelry industry, where consumers seek to transform expensive items into profoundly personal and customized pieces. Among the trusted names in bespoke jewelry design, The Rare Gemstone Company (RGC) stands out as a veteran, continuously drawing customers back for its personalized creations.

A Legacy of Customization

Founded in 1974, The Rare Gemstone Company has spent nearly five decades perfecting the art of custom jewelry design. Its “Design Your Own” service has become a cornerstone of its offerings, allowing customers to create unique pieces that reflect their style.

“Our clients come to us because they want something extraordinary,” says Antony Zagoritis, CEO of The Rare Gemstone Company. “They’re not just buying jewelry; they’re creating heirlooms that tell their personal stories.”

The company’s perspective on customized gemstones goes beyond simple alterations. It offers a comprehensive design experience combining state-of-the-art technology with traditional craftsmanship, certifying each piece is as unique as its owner.

When Technology Meets Personal Design

At the heart of The Rare Gemstone Company’s custom design service is its advanced Jewelry Design Wizard. This online tool revolutionizes customers’ interaction with the design process, offering an intuitive interface that allows users to experiment with different combinations of gemstones, settings, and metals.

Customers widely appreciate the wizard’s ability to calculate prices as designs evolve automatically. It eliminates the uncertainty often associated with custom jewelry, allowing clients to make informed decisions about their creations within budget constraints. For Zagoritis, this tool aligns with its promise of transparency and vision to help customers design customized gemstones easily.

“Our Jewelry Design Wizard is like having a virtual jeweler at your fingertips,” Zagoritis explains. “It empowers customers to explore their creativity while providing real-time pricing, making the entire process transparent and enjoyable.”

The Industry Advantage

The Rare Gemstone Company’s custom service is further distinguished by its extensive collection of rare and high-quality gemstones sourced by its GIA qualified gemologists. Specializing in Tanzanite, Tsavorite, and other African gems, RGC offers customers access to stones that are often difficult to find elsewhere.

“We source our gems directly from mines in East Africa,” Zagoritis notes. “These direct relationships with mine owners allow us to secure the finest gemstones as soon as they’re discovered. This means our customers have the first pick of truly exceptional stones for their custom pieces.”

The company’s extensive collection makes certain that each customer finds the perfect centerpiece for their design. The range of options from vibrant blue Tanzanites to lush green Tsavorites caters to diverse preferences and design visions.

Expert Guidance and Craftsmanship

While the online design tool offers convenience and creative freedom, The Rare Gemstone Company recognizes the value of expert guidance in the jewelry design process. This is why its customers can work closely with the company’s experienced designers, discussing style preferences, settings, and metal types of their customized gemstones.

Photo: The RGC CAD Team curing 3D Jewelry Prints

Zagoritis emphasizes that their design team doesn’t just translate ideas into jewelry; instead, they elevate them. The Rare Gemstone Company offers valuable insights to improve the overall sound design, like suggesting the ideal gemstone to complement a particular style, recommending harmonious color combinations, or highlighting subtle details that enhance the overall aesthetic.

“Our team brings years of combined experience to each project,” Zagoritis mentions. “This aptitude establishes that every custom piece is truly what customers imagine and even better.”

Once a design is finalized, The Rare Gemstone Company’s skilled artisans and goldsmiths bring the customized gemstone to life using state-of-the-art techniques and equipment. This blend of traditional craftsmanship and modern technology results in jewelry pieces of exceptional quality and beauty.

The Rare Gemstone Company Difference

The Rare Gemstone Company’s quality, transparency, and prioritizing customer satisfaction have earned it a loyal following. The Rare Gemstone Company subjects each custom piece to rigorous quality checks and provides comprehensive documentation, including GIA system Gemstone, grading, and provenance reports.

Photo: Custom Earrings created by the RGC Design Team

“Trust is paramount in our high-stakes industry,” Zagoritis emphasizes. “We make sure our customers have complete confidence in their purchases by providing detailed documentation and using advanced technologies like 360-degree view, micro laser inscription, and even Provenance blockchain technology.”

The Rare Gemstone Company recognizes that every custom jewelry piece holds a unique and personal story. It understands that these customized gemstones are more than just accessories; they symbolize love, milestones, and individual expression. This appreciation behind each design drives the company to be part of every customer’s journey.

For the last 50 years, whether it’s an engagement ring marking the beginning of a lifelong commitment, a pendant celebrating a small win, or a pair of earrings honoring a cherished memory, The Rare Gemstone Company has treated each project with the utmost care and passion as if it were its own story to tell.

Lifestyle

When Seasons Shift: Dr. Leeshe Grimes on Grief, Loneliness, and Finding Light Again

Published

4 days ago

February 22, 2026

Michelle Langton

Some emotional storms arrive without warning. A sudden change in weather, a holiday approaching, or even a bright sunny day can stir feelings that don’t match the world outside. For many people, the hardest seasons are not defined by temperature; they are defined by what’s happening inside, where grief and loneliness often move quietly.

This is the emotional terrain where Dr. Leeshe Grimes has spent her career doing some of her most meaningful work. As a psychotherapist, registered play therapist, retired U.S. Army combat veteran, and founder of Elevated Minds in the DMV area, she understands how deeply seasonal shifts and unresolved grief can affect people. Her upcoming books explore this very space, guiding readers through the emotional weight that can appear during different times of the year.

What sets Dr. Grimes apart is her ability to see clearly what many people overlook. Seasonal depression, for example, is usually tied to winter months. But she often sees it appear during warm, bright seasons, the times when the world seems happiest. For someone already grieving or feeling disconnected, watching others travel, celebrate, or gather can create its own kind of heaviness. Sunshine doesn’t always lift the mood; sometimes it highlights what feels missing.

The same misunderstanding surrounds grief. Society often treats it as a short-term experience with predictable phases and a clean ending. But in her practice, Dr. Grimes sees how grief keeps evolving. It doesn’t disappear on a timeline. It weaves itself into routines, memories, and milestones. People learn to carry it differently, but they rarely leave it behind completely. And that’s not failure, it’s human.

Her approach to mental health centers on truth rather than pressure. She encourages clients to acknowledge the emotions they try to hide: sadness that lingers longer than expected, moments of joy that feel out of place, and the waves of loneliness that return even when life seems stable. Instead of pushing for quick recovery, she focuses on helping people understand how emotions shift and how to care for themselves through those changes.

Much of her insight comes from her military years, where she witnessed the emotional toll of loss, transition, and constant survival. She saw how people continued functioning while carrying pain that had nowhere to go. That experience shaped her belief that healing requires space, space to feel, to speak, and to move through emotions without judgment.

In her clinical work today at Elevated Minds, she encourages people to build small, steady habits that anchor them during difficult seasons. Journaling helps them recognize patterns and name what feels heavy. Community support breaks the cycle of isolation. Therapy creates a place where emotions don’t have to be minimized or explained away. And intentional routines, daily sunlight, mindful breaks, and calm evenings help rebuild emotional balance.

Her upcoming books expand on these ideas, offering practical guidance for navigating both grief and seasonal depression. She focuses on helping readers understand that healing is not about escaping pain. It’s about learning how to live with it in a healthier way, honoring memories, acknowledging loneliness, and still allowing room for moments of light.

What makes Dr. Leeshe Grimes a compelling voice in mental health is her ability to bring language to experiences that many struggle to explain. She reminds people that emotional seasons don’t always match the weather and that there is no single path through grief. But within those shifts, she believes there is always a way forward.

The seasons will continue to change. And with the right tools, compassion, and support, people can change with them, finding steadiness, softness, and light again, one step at a time.