Micky is our favorite "grand high queen of all," setting the standards for the business, charting its course...and always, translating her artistic inspirations into stunning jewelry designs. She was introduced to the art of jewelrymaking by her high school art teacher, Edward Hoops, in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and began preparing for her jewelry career by earning a B.S. in Art Education from Mansfield State College (Mansfield, PA), where she majored in jewelry design and fabrication. In Philadelphia, she took workshops with Stanley Lecthin from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University and trained at the Cheltenham Art Center; she studied hollowware construction with Hans Christianson of the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Micky has been a jewelry designer since 1972, specializing in custom designed, one-of-a-kind creations that make a unique personal statement. Since that time her business has grown from a one-person studio to a shop of ten, located on the Cayuga Lake waterfront in Ithaca, New York. Her work is shown in numerous galleries in the United States, and is collected by clients both nationally and internationally.

If you've seen Micky Roof mentioned on Pricescope or other Internet jewelry forums, you may have noticed references to "a wonderful, helpful woman named Sarah." We're proud to have Sarah's diligent, dedicated customer service talents available to us...and to you. She joined Micky in 2002, intrigued by the prospect of learning the art and craft of jewelry by working for an artist (and among highly skilled goldsmiths)...and her extensive on-the-job education has prepared her to answer practically any question.

Sarah enjoys "being part of a team, all working together to serve our customers. I love following a job in its myriad details, to its perfect conclusion — a piece that the customer will love and appreciate for years to come." She adds that the possibilities of jewelry design, diamonds, and gemstones keep things fresh and challenging for her, and she finds her ongoing learning very satisfying ("it helps me serve each customer more effectively"). Previously, Sarah was employed at a perennial plant nursery, which fed her passion for gardening, and she worked for years in her husband's glass sculpture studio. Other loves include herbal medicine and flower essences.

Sarah factoid: She raised dairy goats for nearly twenty years.

Steve has been with us since 2002, and indeed brings a special blend of expertise and warmth to the organization. His enthusiasm for helping his customers find precisely what they're looking for is a real benefit, both at your end and at ours ... and it's likely that his nearly thirty years in the fine dining industry (largely as a mâitre d') have honed his commitment to providing the finest in service.

Steve was educated in European Studies, with an Art History concentration — and today remains deeply interested in art and antiques. At Micky's he values the opportunity to work with the public, as well as being surrounded by beautiful objects.

Originally from western Kentucky, Linda has lived in the Ithaca area since 1977 and has, in her private accounting and business management practice, served local clients for some twenty years. She joined Micky Roof in 1990, and cites her main areas of specialization as "accounting, organization, and 'people relations.' "

Linda became professionally involved with the jewelry industry by accident, she says, having begun part-time as Micky's business manager. What does she like most about being here? "The staff...and always changing and growing." In her spare time she enjoys cooking, gardening, and bird watching. "The future appears to be challenging and entertaining," she adds. "Retire? No way!"

Linda factoid: as a child, she learned the alphabet backwards before learning its standard configuration.

Tony, a native of Haverhill, England, has recently rejoined our ranks. His 29-year career in the jewelry business began in Haverhill, and then included sixteen years in Johannesburg, South Africa...following which he plied his considerable talents in our shop for a year, creating beautiful one-off jewelry designs, maintaining our inventory of "staple" pieces, and providing expert jewelry repair services.

But he yearned for the familiarity of Haverhill, and decided to return (we hated to lose him!). He established his own retail shop in his home town, ably serving clients from a wide area for approximately five years. And then, to our surprise and delight, he decided once again to bring his family and join us in Ithaca; without hesitation, we offered him a position. Today Tony's artistry is once again a mainstay of our business, and his hands-on knowledge of a vast repertoire of bench techniques allows him to offer customers practical, no-nonsense information and advice.

Prior to joining Micky in 2004, Mike operated his own retail jewelry shop in Pennsylvania ... developing his skills as a jewelry designer and goldsmith, and gaining valuable business experience. (Schooled in architectural design, with two awards to his credit, he says he became involved with jewelry purely by accident.)

Mike particularly enjoys working with Micky's jewelry clients—and exceeding their expectations. (His impeccable talents at the jeweler's bench do assist in that area!) In fact, Mike assesses his main strengths as interpersonal: "client relationships, problem solving...and a sense of humor." Queried about his present career in general, he notes "Precious gems and beautiful women. Could there be a better job?"

Mike factoid: In his leisure hours, Mike enjoys spending time with his dogs.

Micky's daughter Larkin has, as you might suspect, grown up in the business...and her knowledge and experience are a great asset. (We're hoping that now, having completed her graduate studies, she'll be able to spend more time in the store!) Larkin graduated from a local community college with a major in Social Science, and then, deciding she was primarily interested in working with the older adult population, completed her four-year degree at Ithaca College (with a Gerontology major and a minor in Psychology). She's since gone on to earn Master's Degrees in both Social Work and Gerontology.

Larkin says her "top talents" in the store are largely interpersonal (listening, helping customers find what they're looking for...and "making people feel good about doing something nice for themselves.") She especially enjoys being able to help translate people's desires into reality, and seeing the looks on their faces when they're presented with a beautiful piece of jewelry. In her spare time Larkin opts for travel, poetry, reading, and enjoying the outdoors.

Larkin factoid: She's also our highly accomplished in-store bead stringer.

A native of Laos, Bounnam came to this country with his wife in 1986. He'd had an interesting job history in his homeland—rice farmer, furniture factory supervisor, and silkworm station worker (yes, he cared for silkworms ... and harvested silk). His jewelry training began in the States, when shortly after his arrival his brother's church sponsor located an apprenticeship position for him. He joined Micky in 1991.

Bounnam's mastery of bench techniques (casting, cold forging, wax carving, laser welding, fold forming and more) has emerged during the past eighteen years, and the quality of his work is breathtaking...as he brings Micky's fresh designs to life as beautiful, wearable jewelry creations. The best part of the job? For Bounnam, it's the variety—the fact that there's always a new and different project to tackle. At leisure, he enjoys performing maintenance and repair tasks in his home ... and is an avid freshwater fisherman.

Lena came to the United States in 1994 from Belarus (where she had worked as a chainmaker in a jewelry factory), and apprenticed locally prior to being hired by Micky in 1999. A superbly accomplished bench jeweler and stone setter, Lena is also our in-house freehand engraver, an expert wax carver, and a specialist in antique ring restoration...so her expertise touches numerous projects. Many of Micky's designs come to life in her talented hands.

Lena says she has learned a great many techniques, and continues to refine her skills, through her employment at Micky's...and adds that she values the support and respect she receives from employer and staff. ("I really love my job...and always do my best to make people happy and smile!") She likes "...learning anything new, and trying to do what I can do (or can't do!) in my profession." She enjoys cooking and reading, too...but says that really, jewelry is her number one hobby.