My name is Ben Kruse. Early on the morning of 4/30/26, my partner Melody’s jewelry studio in Oakland was forcibly broken into and was robbed of 95% of her inventory and materials. The space was torn apart and vandalized.

Unfortunately (and deeply regrettably) , there was no insurance coverage in place, and we are facing a loss of around $20,000. Just as damaging as the financial loss has been the loss of irreplaceable heirloom jewelry, damage to the studio space and the violation of her personal safety.

The outpouring of support from friends and the larger community has been massive and Melody is incredibly touched and motivated by everyones words. It is giving her the strength to begin to push through the darkness and start the rebuilding and healing process.

Thank you to everyone who has expressed a desire to help. Every dollar contributed will go directly to help Melody rebuild her business and reimburse people who had jewelry in the studio at the time of the robbery.

With all my heart, thank you. Together we can create light out of darkness and move forward with our hearts and heads high.

*on 5/5 we paused donations because we reached our goal way faster then we could have imagined. THANK YOU, and stay tuned for updates.

Just to be clear and per GoFundMe request:

1. Melody is my life partner and we share two children together.

2. I plan to bank transfer the funds to Melody’s business account.

3. The entirety of the funds will be spent buying materials and reimbursing people who lost jewelry in the robbery.