About Galatea Online Jewelry Store

From Our Family to Yours

My father was a talented and widely respected jeweler in Vietnam. In the old days, in my home country, it was considered a great privilege and honor to apprentice with him. One was more than willing to tolerate the six months or so spent cleaning the shop, polishing and making jump rings, only to "progress" to spending day after day making simple wedding bands--just to be asked to melt them down and start over because they weren't round enough! The great mystery of why he was so hard on us was finally revealed to me the day he said, "If you want to be a good jeweler, it takes skill and repetition. To be a 'great jeweler' also requires patience, dedication, courage, and a special love for your trade. Having these qualities makes you worthy to work in my shop."
Today at Galatea, we have an Olympic team of jewelers all of whom share our philosophy and love for the trade. We create each piece of our jewelry as if it is to be worn by our own beloved. 

Dignity
Take thousands of hours to gain an ounce of trust
Sell one's soul not to the dust of gold
Dignity overcomes greed
Dignity sets one's spirit roaming free,
Catch oneself not in the shadow of an eclipse
An eclipse momentarily comes and goes
But dignity shall remain.

*Inspiration

Toss a pebble into pond
Watch the ring of water caressing the shore
I am a child
Each day Mother Earth
Secretly reveals a new word.

Chi

My inspiration comes from nature. I toss a pebble into a pond and watch the ripples gently and pleasantly hypnotize me for hours. I pick up a shell and watch the spiral design travel into my eyes. I watch a child hold a flower innocently in her hands as she watches a butterfly dance in the garden. At these moment, nature shares and reveals to us the secret of natural beauty. To me, art is like music. The musician understands key, melody, composition, etc. This enables him to create music rather than noise. Likewise, I have come to understand line, light, shape, color, texture, and the mystic harmony of their relationship in creating music for the eyes. I believe natural beauty is not just based on culture, intellect, or the conditions of life alone. Universal beauty does exist: You can find it in your smile.