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ark and Josette Patterson have been quietly collaborating and spearheading innovations under the Mark Patterson brand name for over 35 years. The husband and wife team first met while studying at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in Santa Monica, before that venerable institution moved to its current Carlsbad headquarters. Mark was studying gemstones and honing his skill at the bench, while Josette was cultivating her European design sensibilities in the Jewelry Arts program. Soon, their friendship evolved into romance, and the two quickly discovered that their complementary perspectives would allow them to establish new benchmarks in superior design and craftsmanship.

Mark and Josette Patterson have been quietly collaborating and spearheading innovations under the Mark Patterson brand name for over 35 years. The husband and wife team first met while studying at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in Santa Monica, before that venerable institution moved to its current Carlsbad headquarters. Mark was studying gemstones and honing his skill at the bench, while Josette was cultivating her European design sensibilities in the Jewelry Arts program. Soon, their friendship evolved into romance, and the two quickly discovered that their complementary perspectives would allow them to establish new benchmarks in superior design and craftsmanship.

After graduation, Josette and Mark made their way to the East Coast, where they quickly got engaged (Mark handed Josette a handful of diamonds with which he urged her to design her own engagement ring) and soon married. They settled in to New York City’s Jewelry District, with Mark teaching at the GIA outpost in NYC, and Josette earning a living creating renderings for major manufacturers while also attending classes at Fashion Institute of Technology and Parson’s School of Design. Despite their hectic schedules, the drive to create in these two young artists never diminished, and they maintained their creative pursuits as a couple, each bringing their unique expertise to the process.

One of Mark’s former students was well-connected with Saudi Arabian royalty, which provided Mark and Josette the opportunity to create a number of spectacular, commissioned, high-end pieces featuring important gemstones and diamonds. The experience not only cemented Mark and Josette’s determination to work with the highest quality, precious materials available, but it also afforded Mark the opportunity to meet a master jeweler, Kurt Gaum, who took the budding designer under his wing and mentored him in the Swiss way of fabrication, which meant never, ever cutting corners.

These events allowed Mark’s technical acumen at the bench and his discerning eye for quality gemstones and diamonds, and Josette’s sophisticated approach to design, to continue to evolve and expand. Throughout the years, the two ushered in several breakthrough techniques that are now considered de rigueur within the industry, such as setting gemstones in gradations in colors for an ombré effect in their Intensity collection, or playing with color in daring ways that evoke the jubilant fervor of festival lights in their Samba collection.

Now considered a doyen of engagement and bridal jewelry, the Mark Patterson brand continues to thrive under its foundational principles of never compromising, and continually pushing aesthetic and technical boundaries in traditional jewelry design. While they have long-established and flourishing relationships with some of the most well-respected retailers in the world, the couple also delights in engaging directly with their clients in the brand’s eponymous retail and studio space in their now home of Newport Beach, California. It is there that their legacy continues, and where they quietly maintain their commitment to excellence and beauty.