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46 www.thejewelrybook.com G I V I N G B A C K F O R G I N G J E W E L R Y & B E T T E R L I V E S A Laotian jeweler offers training and factory jobs to improve the lives of her countrymen. Forging Jewelry & Better Lives BY JENNIFER HEEBNER Lani Nguyen's backstory and altruism-laced busi- ness practices are almost unbelievable. A Laotian of Vietnamese descent with a fourth-grade edu- cation, she established Valentina Diamonds in Los Angeles in 2010 and built a factory in Laos staffed mostly by women. The factory also em- ploys workers with physical handicaps that would otherwise hinder their job opportunities. Nguyen has sought out some of the neediest indi- viduals in Laos and invests time and training to prepare them for professional jewelry making. Many new workers require basic life skills— think making eye contact—before they even be- gin jewelry classes. "I have gone to the smallest villages and found some of the poorest families," says Nguyen. "It takes a year before many even make a piece of jewelry." Nguyen's own history is nothing short of awe in- spiring. Her family fl ed political turmoil in Laos when Nguyen was a child. The Nguyens ended up in a Thai refugee camp for fi ve years. Her fa- ther insisted that all the children—Nguyen was the oldest of seven—learn skills while stationed there so as "not to be a burden to their adoptive country," Nguyen recollects. A friend of her fa- ther who was also in the camp was making jew- elry by hand and offered to teach the kids. Their collective skills became such a formidable pres- ence that it attracted the attention of the Queen of Thailand, who enlisted them to make tradi- tional pieces for dancers in the 1984 summer Olympics in Los Angeles. That appointment gar- nered Nguyen high-profi le customers and the opportunity to learn English (which she taught to her parents). These experiences paved the way for Nguyen's eventual relocation to the U.S. and the establishment of several jewelry businesses doing private-label work for others before she debuted her own brand. Still, she never forgot about her home country and the need for better opportunities for the people. This is why she opened a diamond jewelry factory in the capital city of Vientiane in 2000. Today, 160 are employed there making mid- to high-end bridal jewelry and some elevated fashion classics in karat gold and platinum with diamonds. "Lani has created amazing opportunities to lift up the economy and the people there," adds Karen Cho, the company's director of product development, who was a buyer before she joined Nguyen as an employee. "Valentina Diamonds is a for-profi t company, but Lani has a special place in her heart to help people in need." Among Nguyen's success stories? A handicapped husband and wife; the woman has prosthetic legs, and the man is missing a hand. Still, they are exceptional staffers. She works in the diamond department, and he is "the best one-handed caster you will ever meet!" says Nguyen. Nguyen's favorite anecdote is from a recent Christmas party. Employees, including a one- armed female staffer in a short-sleeve red dress, were on a stage dancing. When this woman joined the company, she was reticent about her handicap, but with time, training, and confi - dence, she grew comfortable enough to let loose in front of the whole company. "I don't measure my success by how much money I have in the bank," says Nguyen. "This woman and others like her—to see their transforma- tions—is my success." The casting department is run by a one-handed staffer. A handicapped employee in the design department Diamond ring from Valentina Diamonds, 213-988-8828, www.valentinadiamonds.com

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