By: Joy Guha Sarkar A native to New Orleans, I was raised in the jewelry business mostly traveling and doing gem shows. My mother is a master jewelery and my father had an interest in minerals and fossils. I learned stone faceting, cabachon, bead stringing, wire sculpting & more throughout my childhood years. My experience and education in the Lapidary field led me to pursue my parents combined interests and I opened "Earth Odyssey ~ A Nature Store". Only months later, my parents' life's work, business and home were completely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Not sure which step to take, they decided to try out the French Quarter and we merged our separate businesses into one. They have now reopened their fine jewelry store in St. Bernard Parish and Earth Odyssey has blossomed into a sanctuary of gems, minerals & magic as we have expanded our merchandise to include not only fine sterling silver gemstone jewelry and premium quality minerals/fossils but also an array of metaphysical paraphernalia, essential oils, herbs and books.
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 Madeline Collara is a master jeweler, entreprenuer and mother!! | "When I began my career as a jeweler, my daughter hung on to my lap and as I worked she would look up at me in amazement at everything I was doing. Now my only granddaughter does the same. At that time I never drempt that I would see my daughter with similar amazement & awe. Nor did I think that she would be building her life in the same profession that I chose for myself. Being a jeweler has never been a boring job for me. It still holds the same artistic possiblilities in designing and accomplishing amazing goals." ~ Madeline Collara |
"My father opened the first jewelry store in St. Bernard Parish, where I learned how to repair watches at age 12. We have carried on the legacy and now I enjoy designing and manufacturing all kinds of jewelry." ~ Joseph Collara | For over 45 years Joseph Collara has been
an expert jewelry designer. |
