G.J Owen

Gabriel Owen started working in his father's jewelry factory at age 14 — first in the Levant, then in the United States. That early start became a career spanning more than 35 years, across nearly every discipline the trade has to offer.

Gabriel is a Graduate Gemologist through the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), and the Gemmolgical Association of Australia (GAA), he trained further in Belgium, studying diamond setting under master setter Alexander Sidorov. Along the way, he built a rare, complete skill set — hand engraving, diamond setting, jewelry manufacturing, and 3D design — combining traditional bench technique with modern tools.

He went on to own jewelry stores in both the United States and Australia, opening the first branch of the Jewelry Institute of America in Australia in 2016 before relocating the school entirely to Katy, Houston, TX, where it operates today.

As an instructor, Gabriel teaches the way he learned: hands-on, one student at a time, with the same patience and attention to detail that took him from a 14-year-old in his father's shop to a GIA-certified gemologist and founder of his own school. Whether you're taking a single 5-day class or working toward a full diploma, you're learning directly from someone who has spent his life doing exactly what he's teaching.