Zaka Golshani wanted to be a dentist when she grew up. Perhaps she admired a sparkling smile. But one winter, shortly after completing her B.S. in Biology at Cal State Fullerton, Zaka agreed to help a friend weather the madness of the holiday season at his jewelry store. She fell in love with sparkling stones and never thought of pursuing sparkling smiles again.

Over the course of fifteen years Zaka mastered the art of jewelry design, gaining a dedicated clientele that followed her work. She worked under the auspices of other jewelers' stores, but she dreamed about opening her own place. Last year Zaka made a contrarian leap of faith in this down economy and opened Tustin Jewelry Center near Tustin and Taft, where she invited other talented designers and fine jewelry sellers to join her.

by Betsy Sanz - HB Magazine