Aaron Henry Furlong is an American jewellery designer.

Early life and education

He was born on November 22, 1967, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. He was the first child of a

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Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family which emigrated from

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and is the third generation of a family of established jewelers and diamond merchants: His grandfather, a successful diamond merchant, a pillar of the Los Angeles diamond industry, started the family jewelry business. His father extended the business with a shop and began employing craftsmen. In 1990 he received a degree in psychology and worked at a suicide prevention hotline for one year. Then he decided to join his family business and got a Graduate Gemologist degree from the

Gemological Institute of America The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) is a nonprofit institute based in Carlsbad, California. It is dedicated to research and education in the field of gemology and the jewelry arts. Founded in 1931, GIA's mission is to protect buyers and s ...

and also a Bachelor of Arts from the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university, research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Oakland, the system is co ...

at Davis and returned to

Career

At that time he began an 8-year apprenticeship with a master jeweler, Victorino Garcia - a personal jeweler to

Ferdinand Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "courage" or "ready, prepared" related to Old High German "to risk, ventu ...

and

Imelda Marcos Imelda Romualdez Marcos (; born Imelda Remedios Visitación Trinidad Romuáldez; July 2, 1929) is a Filipino politician who was First Lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, wielding significant political power after her husband Ferdinand ...

before they were deposed. In 1999 Furlong launched his own line and uses gold and platinum mountings with torch and solder in his designs. His designs have been used by California Jewelers Association, World Gold Council, diamond giant DeBeers and the Gemological Institute of America. His work has also appeared in Town & Country, Millionaire, Forbes, InSTyle magazines, Jewelers Quarterly magazine and Vanity Fair. Jewelers Quarterly Magazine named him as a ‘Designer of the 21st Century’. He is also the current President of the Contemporary Design Group and was recently named one of the Top 100 Designers of the Past 30 Years by a National Jeweler poll. He is regarded as one of the top jewellery designers in the world. His family have designed, manufactured and sold high-end jewellery from their Hill Street office tower, located in the heart of Los Angeles considered the Diamond District. He has helped in the creation and production of the 'Circles of Distinction' pins to recognize contributors to the John Wayne Cancer Institute as well as Trophies for the

Aspen Institute The Aspen Institute is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1949 as the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C., but also has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, its original home. Its stated miss ...

and pins for the Henry Crown Fellowship Program. He lives in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

Awards

Furlong has received awards from the American Gem Trade Association and De Beers.

References

External links

Aaron Henry Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Furlong, Aaron Henry 1967 births Living people American jewelry designers University of California, Davis alumni