40 Under 40: Jennifer ‘Jenny O’ Calleri, Owner, Huntington Jewelers

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Jennifer “Jenny O” Calleri

Thu, Mar 21, 2019 (2 a.m.)

Born and raised in Southern Nevada, Jennifer “Jenny O” Calleri was attending community college and working at a dry cleaner in 1999 when she told a friend she needed a new job.

“We opened the phone book, and I decided, ‘Hey, why not. … I like jewelry,’ and would you know, every kiss begins with Kay,” said Calleri, who took a sales position at the Kay Jewelers location at Fashion Show, and has been immersed in the industry ever since.

A graduate gemologist, Calleri worked in sales at Simayof Diamond Cutters in the Grand Canal Shoppes, then studied at the Gemological Institute of America, after which she worked on the supply side, selling loose diamonds and branded jewelry lines to retailers. She then spent five years at MJ Christensen, where she was a top sales professional, and served as store director and brand ambassador at T-Bird Jewels. In January 2018, she and her husband purchased Huntington Jewelers, which was originally established in 1950.

Owner, designer, creator, curator, appraiser — there are many facets to her career.

“Acquiring this business has been my dream, and a major focus this year will be our online influence and community outreach,” said Calleri, who is active with the Women’s Jewelry Association and the American Gem Society, supports Keep Memory Alive and the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and recently connected with the Cupcake Girls.

“We are really going to focus on the holistic sourcing of gems and jewelry and how we can leave a gem legacy," she said. "Jewelry is an artifact of life; let’s make a difference in what we adorn and all the amazing lives we have touched when this piece was created.”

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