About the Guys’ Guide
The team at The Passionate Collector® is comprised of individuals who are opinionated, knowledgeable and fashionable. We are highly educated, possess a diverse background of age and experience, and are more than willing to assist you in your search for the perfect gift. To top it off, we’re women—so we know what women want, and don’t want. (And even what they don’t know they want.) What better a group of people to help you figure out what to get for the hard-to-please lucky lady in your life?
And lucky for you, we also know men. Well, let’s say we know them well enough to know how much most of them hate to shop. So here we are, the lovely ladies of The Passionate Collector®, bringing you this site to make your lives and your choices easier. And most importantly, to make the path from “searching for” to “perfect gift” as painless as possible.
Sort of our little gift to men, to the women who love them, and perhaps, even to the universe.
Susan - Owner/President, Chief Cook and Visionary
Susan decided to start Guys’ Guide to Jewelry after a dinner conversation with some of her neighbors confirmed how much men hate shopping for gifts for their wives. Whether clueless, insecure or disinterested, men struggle, she was told, with these purchases because they just don’t know the right thing to buy. That was all Susan had to hear to confirm that this website was needed.
Susan is in charge of the office kitchen and making sure all staff are well feed for maximum creativity, efficiency and to keep crankiness to a minimum.
Her mantra for the guysguidetojewelry.com is to demystify the gift giving process for men and make it a positive experience for them, leaving plenty of time to stay on the golf course, shooting hoops or to pursue other favorite activities.
Susan is proud that her employees are visionaries in their own right and, without naming names, Susan’s staff is in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s, so we know what to suggest if you have questions about what’s appropriate at a certain age!
Owner Susan Shieldkret holds a Graduate Diploma in Pearls and a Certificate in Jewelry Essentials from the Gemological Institute of America, an M.A. from NYU in Media Ecology/Communication Theory, and a B.A. in Liberal Arts.
Susan created The Passionate Collector® in 2005 and in mid-2007 launched www.thepassionatecollector.com to offer online shoppers a selection of her favorite necklaces, earrings, rings, and bracelets created from base and precious metals, semi-precious gems, and pearls. Now, everyone benefits from the two cents of Jennifer and Katy in making all of our purchasing decisions, so you can be sure, we’ve got your favorite girls covered.
A native of New York, Susan has lived in California since the 1980s. Today she resides in Newport Beach, California with her husband and two cats, aptly nicknamed Customer Service and Shipping, although we tend to forget which is which.
When she is not working (when exactly is that???), she enjoys traveling, time with her family and friends, art collecting, reading, working out, music, theater, and film.
Jennifer - Designer, Buyer, Merchandiser, Most Importantly Susan’s Right Hand (Susan is left-handed)
Jennifer brings a strong jewelry background to The Passionate Collector®. She has a Cum Laude BA from the University of California, Irvine. Not only is she an avid jewelry collector (she quite possibly could be our best client) but also the designer of the JennaViv collection. She has worked for major jewelers including Tiffany & Co. and Charriol. She currently lives in Orange County, California with her domineering cat and her cuddly Tibetan mastiff. Almost everyday after work you can find her on the tennis courts hitting a mad backhand. On the weekends you can usually find her on top of a mountain pondering new jewelry designs. She spent over a month alone on the Appalachian Trail. She would have been a thru-hiker if it had not been for a little accident that happened on top of a mountain out there on the East Coast (long story.) She most recently summited Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa. The rest of her time is spent reading (she doesn’t own a TV) and playing with her dog. Along with all of this she loves dressing up and going to the opera, symphony and museums.
Jennifer’s day to day focus is making sure that orders are being filled, new merchandise is being ordered and inventoried and that there is no shortage of silly moments at The Passionate Collector®. (She won’t stand for her co-workers to be serious for more then let’s say 10 minutes max at one time.)
Jennifer would love to help you find that perfect gift for the woman in your life who is not only a tough, nerdy chick, but also a true girly girl. Please don’t hesitate to email or call her with any questions. Cheers!!!
You can contact Jennifer at: jennifer@thepassionatecollector.com or 949-673-0440.
Katy - Assistant Buyer & Merchandiser and Official Fashion Trendspotter
Katy joins The Passionate Collector® after spending a year in the Fashion Marketing AAS program at Parsons School of Design in New York City. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York, having made a New Yorker out of her over the past five years, and currently single-handedly represents the East Coast branch of TPC. Katy has had a passion for clothing and styling outfits from a young age-and owns a closet full of fun accessories! Katy is a fun-loving and creative old soul who loves chunky jewelry, to knit, and to drink tea, but never misses out on an 80s dance party where she can show off her mean “lawnmower”.
Katy is responsible for researching and buying for the 20-something market at TPC and encourages you to contact her with suggestions or with young jewelry designers that you think should be on our radar. Katy also never misses an opportunity to accessorize women of all age ranges who might ask her opinion. Never fear, she is able to give advice for all ages!
Katy will be blogging about styles and trends (and who knows what else on our TPC blog—coming soon). Please do not hesitate to speak up if you’re in need of assistance buying for the 20-something lady or any of the ladies in your life or if you’re just in need of some sane love-life advice! Cheers.
Contact Katy at katy@thepassionatecollector.com.
Satisfied Customer
"Just wanted to let you know that I gave my wife the necklace, and it was a huge hit! Huge!! She absolutely loves it, and she's been wearing it non-stop (and has already gotten a bunch of compliments on it.) Thanks for making me look so good . . ."
Gary, CA