“59 Gem Co” jewelry-making business

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Two students started their own custom ring-making business in their apartment. 

“We both love rings, we buy a ton of rings, too many,” said Kenzie Jenkins, co-founder of 59 Gem Co. “And we were like, I bet you we could make these, like how hard could it really be?”

Best friends and roommates, Kenzie Jenkins and Maisie Wells decided that instead of paying for expensive rings, they would just make their own.  

“Instead of spending the money, why not make the money, you know?” joked Wells, co-founder of 59 Gem Co. 

The girls bought the equipment, watched some Youtube videos, and got to work. 

They set up an Instagram account where customers can customize their own ring from a variety of gems and band designs and started working on a website. 

“There’s different parts,” explained Wells. “So there’s the bezel, so they can customize. There’s different bezels they can do, different bands they can do, just stuff like that.” 

Each ring currently takes about four hours to assemble, and despite a lot of trial and error, the girls enjoy working together. 

Someday they hope to quit their day jobs so they can focus on building their business. They appear well on their way to achieving that goal with the help of a couple store owners who have already offered to sell the rings in their stores. 

“I would say go for it, but definitely do your research,” said Jenkins. “Just kind of keep going, and if you really have that desire, if you have that passion for what you wanna do, you can make it work. It’s not always easy, but I think it’s worth it.”

Right now, Jenkins and Wells are focusing on perfecting their rings, but they hope to branch out to other items like bracelets, pendants and bolo ties. 

If you want to customize your own gem ring, check out @fiftyninegemco on Instagram.

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