Yep, he’s a hottie. Jimi Gwinn is just about as cute as they come. Add to that the fact that he makes gorgeous jewelry, and you’ve hit on two of our favorite things! He’s slept in Vice President Alben Barkley’s bedroom, survived a life-changing and life-challenging accident, kept his sweet sense of humor and now leaves his mark on the world with beautiful women wearing his beautiful gems.Jimi Gwinn, you are cute, cute, cute, no doubt about it!
Thanks, but I bet you say that to all the guys.
Guilty! I say it to all the gals, too. Jimi, your jewelry is gorgeous. And your shop — oh la la! When did you open?
Last summer. It’s been great to see it become so successful.
It’s totally successful! Every woman wants her some Jimi! Oh, look, you’re blushing. Have you always done that?
I’m not so good at receiving compliments.
Oh, well, I’ll try to tone it down, then! Jimi Gwinn, how did you get into jewelry design?Leon McGary, a master jeweler from Memphis, mentioned to my dad that he’d like to teach me to make jewelry. I was like, “make what!?!” I didn’t know the first thing about jewelry, gemstones or even metals, for that matter. I finally mustered up the courage to call Leon, and I soon became his apprentice.
And you were just a natural?
I guess! Jewelry making is something you’re either good at or not, and there’s only one way to find that out — and that’s by doing it. I went to New York City to learn about diamonds and diamond grading, gem identification and all kinds of colored gemstones. Now, Leon and I get together to “talk shop” on a regular basis.
 |
| Perfect for Valentines Day: Exotic hardwood reversible pendants on 18” sterling silver chains. $55-$75. |
Yes, most of my work is commissioned, but I have other pieces in a variety of price ranges. My exotic wood pendants are in the $55-$75 range and are very popular.
Those are so great — and perfect for Valentine’s! How does the commission process typically work?
I meet with a client for an hour or two to get an idea of her sense of style. Is it classic or contemporary? Subdued or loud? Tailored or mainstream? It’s my job to make sure that the jewelry “fits” the woman and that she’ll want to wear it the rest of her life. A great design never goes out of style.
In general, men just don’t get jewelry, do they?No, we don’t. Then again, we men will never completely understand you women — you’re way too complex for us.
Amen, brother!
So long as you realize how much we appreciate you is all that matters, right?
Well, that and jewelry, yes.
Right! And what I’ve learned is that through jewelry, I get to be a part of the most important events people have in their lives: marriages, anniversaries, babies, graduations, promotions, retirements, etc. My jewelry becomes the material symbol of those moments for all of eternity. It’s humbling when I think about it.
 |
| Also perfect for Valentine’s Day: 3.71ct sapphire set in 18k white gold. |
Check out the jewelry she wears often for ideas on what to get her. If she has a favorite ring, try to find a pendant or pair of earrings that go well with it. It’s all about finding a jeweler you can trust implicitly. The person who’s right for you.
Well you sure were the right person at the WKCTC auction last year. Your pendant sold for tons of money!
That was a pleasant surprise. I’m glad the piece was so well received. I’d be interested in submitting a piece for the St. Mary’s auction, too, if someone would care to contact me about that…
Oh, Jimi, I predict a lot of upcoming contact! Whoops, there’s the blushing again. Sorry.
It’s OK. I like contact.
 |
| Mortise, the wonder dog. |
It was wild. Visitors would always drive up and ask to see the house. I was like, “Hell yeah! I love giving tours!” I can give a mean tour. I slept in Barkley’s old bedroom.
Do you mind talking about your accident? You were in high school, weren’t you?
Two days after my 18th birthday I was driving my mother’s 1986 Saab convertible really fast on a bad road, with two friends, Laura and Tereza. No one was wearing a seatbelt.
I remember losing control halfway through an S-curve, the thwack of hitting a utility pole and then waking up 30 feet from the car. I remember not being able to breathe for what seemed like an eternity, and it felt like I’d been stabbed in my stomach.
Fortunately, Tereza walked away with only a couple of minor bruises, but Laura had multiple fractures of her pelvis. As far as I know, she’s made a full recovery.
My injuries were pretty bad. One of my vertebrae had dislocated a little over an inch, and another had exploded on my impact with the door on my way out of the car. I also tore a nerve center under my right armpit and collapsed my right lung.
And you became paralyzed?
From the waist down. I spent the next several months in rehab, and will have spent 10 years in a chair on July 11 of this year. Lesson: Don’t drive 65mph on Clinton Road in a convertible without your seatbelt!
Oh, wow Jimi. What was your recovery like?
It was the toughest thing I’ve ever had to do, both physically and mentally. For the first 10 weeks, I let my own self-pity consume me. I’d just lay there in bed and battle with some crazy bouts of vertigo. It was a very scary time in my life.
It’s one of those things that you never think will happen to you, isn’t it?I couldn’t seem to get over the fact that I had once been a 6’3”, 245-pound Division I prospect. Three months after the accident, I was 105 pounds lighter and a full inch shorter. My low point came when I realized my muscles had atrophied so severely that I couldn’t even get out of bed.
What happened next?
I realized I had a choice to make: I could continue to see myself as a victim and live the rest of my life in fear, or I could feel the fear and do it anyway. So I made a choice right there to use my paralysis as a motivator to become a better person.
You know, LowerTown artist Aynex Mercado was in a terrible accident about 10 years ago. She says her artistic side came out after the accident. Is that what happened to you?
Actually, I think my artistic side came out as a kid playing with Legos! The biggest change for me was realizing that there’s more to life than being a jock. I had to make the transition from being the alpha-male to being a guy who couldn’t use his legs.
I think I’ve found a way to focus all the pain and dissatisfaction in my life into something tangible. If I can make that tangible object something that looks cool, it means I’m creating beauty from my pain. I liked the sound of that.
That’s a really beautiful way to look at it. And your work is absolutely beautiful. Speaking of beauty — how’s your love life?
I date here and there, but I haven’t been able to find the right girl just yet. I’ve met some amazing girls, and it’s great to have so many female friends. I tend to be a little shy around beautiful women, though. I’m way too easily intimidated by beauty.
What kind of gal seems to attract your attention? Jewels? No jewels?
I’m more concerned with finding someone who sees me for who I really am — someone who isn’t afraid to laugh at me when I fall out of my chair. I’m a goofball at heart — it just takes the right person to bring it out of me.
 |
| Jimi in Snowmass with Fowler Black and Jimi’s dad. |
I just got back from a ski trip with my cousin, Fowler Black, and my Dad in Aspen. It was awesome! It was my fourth trip out there since I’ve been paralyzed, and I did my first black runs in the mono-ski!
You strapped yourself onto one of those things?
Oh yeah! I still love going fast (even though it paralyzed me)! But slow is good, too. I also SCUBA dive a few times each year. One time in the Cayman Islands, we put 20 pounds of weights on my wheelchair and sank it in 60 feet of water, just so I could sit in it and get a picture! I completely ruined the wheelchair, but I already had a new one on the way.
Life is all about those things you’ll actually remember doing when you’re 90 years old. That way, you can look back at your life and be proud of the things you’ve done — stupid or not. The important thing is just doing them.
Well, Jimi Gwinn, you are super, super cute. If diamonds are a girl’s best friend, there’s no doubt that you are a girl’s best boyfriend! With jewels! Sparkle on, Jimi Gwinn!
