Shahasp's Dream: a Jewelry Gallery

My lifelong dream has been to have my own jewelry and art gallery. The original concept was a store that you could walk into and walk out completely remade. There would be jewelry, clothing and a salon, it was to be called Shahasp’s World. This is what I dreamt about as a child into adulthood.

As a child I pulled glitter and rhinestones off greeting cards and glued them to my fingers in place of rings. I wanted earrings so badly that I clamped jump-rings onto my earlobes at age 6. I dug holes in the back yard looking for gemstones. I made rings and crowns out of cardboard and tape, coloring the gems with colored pencils. I sat for hours upon hours meticulously coloring coloring books of Queen Elizabeth and King Henry the VIII, paying particular attention to the jewels with colored pencils sharpened to a pinpoint.

Jewelry and gems are just in my being from as early as I can remember. My mom, Sandra, says I was just born this way with a love of design and adornment. I had lapidary arts at age 12 and won an award for my cabs.That was awesome! Then I had lost wax and casting creating my own jewelry for the first time. That was awesome at! I learned to set my cabs later in high school where I also learned fabrication, soldering, sawing etc. 

Today with 20 years experience in the jewelry industry behind me and having won multiple awards and have been published many times both as a jewelry designer, I feel more than qualified and ready to live my dream. See 
www.linkedin.com/in/shahasp for my experience. 

The gallery will have a strong point of view, the name is Rock & Rapture, with the tag line being: jewelry • art • music. The jewelry will is carefully curated, I have over 20 designers ready to consign to me in the beginning.I’ll be doing a pop-up 5 weekends in December with 8 designers to get the ball rolling and to promote the store. I hope to open 2/14/18 to honor my grandmother whom name I carry, Valentine. 

The gallery will be a fully immersive experience. There will be a specific fragrance, a specific type of music playing, a specific look to the gallery and a specific style of service and very stylish yet wearable jewelry.

The space is in a very up and coming and well trafficked neighborhood in San Francisco near the iconic Alamo Square. The location couldn’t me more prefect! It’s on a shopping street filled with shops and restaurants, coffee shops, a high-end grocery store recently went in and more business will be opening this Fall.

The funds so generously donated will be used to start up the business. Most importatnly the jewelry cases, POS system so I can sell jewlery. There will be build out, floor, lighting and a wall, are the big ones and the contractors to install (i'll be very hands on and will be doing as much work myself as possilbel).  Also signage, packaging, insurance, safe, hopefully some advertiinsing in San Francisco Magazine, and a myriad of other details. I thank you for any contributions or sharing of my GoFundMe. 

I'll be participating in SF Open Studios during November to raise funds for my December Pop-up which in turn will help fund the gallery. 

Pr and marketing are in place. With Facebook, Instagram and Twitter active for many months now. @rockandrapture #rockandrapture #rockandrapturesf
And I've been promoting via my own personal Facebook page, my Precieux Jewlery Facebook page, Personal LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter. 

I both excited out of my mind but also terrified. But fear will not stop me. I will forge ahead and make my dream a reality.

With Heartfelt Thanks,
Shahasp Valentine

 (Art by Viktor Kastro)