I am John Wade and I am a native of Iowa. I began my career at an early age of 12 while visiting the Opal mines of Virgin Valley Nevada. It was here on my Uncle Charlie's Opal mine that I learned the beginning tips on how to cut and polish stones. As a 12 year old I was fascinated with the processes of jewelry making and as I matured it became more apparent to my family, school, teachers, and peers that this was my calling, especially long before I had realized it. After failing miserably one semester of college in Electronics Engineering, my parents suggested that I pursue the study of Jewelry making. I took their advice and went to Gem City College in Quincy, IL. In 1977 I graduated from Gem City College. During college my skills expanded to the knowledge of hand engraving, lapidary, and jewelry designing. Over the past twenty-five years, I have worked in several stores and had many opportunities to fine tune the art of jewelry making.
In most recent years, my desire to design jewelry sent me looking for a new market and a place to raise my family. In 1996 I moved to Rocky Mount, North Carolina to work for a new store. During my first year on staff it was brought to my attention that customers really desired to have hand engraved jewelry. Within six months of offering this service to the store I was working for, the entire market exploded!
As the popularity increased across the United States it became my desire to move into having my own studio and be able to offer this to many stores. Quite honestly, it grew faster than I expected and within a few months of burning the candle at both ends, I was able to open Wade Designs in October of 1998. Opening Wade Designs has given me the opportunity to not only hand engrave but it has been the perfect time for me to explore new avenues including development of my own line of jewelry. As you can see in the many pictures on this website, I love what I do and it was my goal to bring back a part of history in hand engraving and designing fine jewelry that captures the essence of both skill and design. I truly hope that you love wearing it as much as I enjoying making it.