Lafayette's Zorba of Jewelry Is a Gem of a Guy

Affable, gregarious and with a thousand stories to tell, Steve Ware could play the part of anyone's favorite uncle. With a graying beard and stocky build, he looks like a perfect fit for the lead role in "Zorba the Greek."

Ware isn't into acting. What he is into – big time – is jewelry, both design and repair.

A year and a half ago, he moved his shop from the eastern end of Mount Diablo Boulevard in Lafayette to its present location in Happy Valley Plaza, between Trader Joe's and the post office.

Ware says he "took a leap of faith" in relocating. At 1,000 square feet, the new store, opened July 1, 2009, is three times larger. The rent is higher, of course, but the foot traffic has increased markedly.

He is happy with where he is, happy with his job, happy with life in general. If Steve Ware can't make you smile or feel good, no one can. He is a two-legged, 24/7 dispenser of cheer and good will around town.

Ware, his wife, Laurie (an emergency room nurse), and two daughters moved to Lafayette in 1998. After spending two decades in the jewelry business in San Francisco and Marin County, he bought a shop kitty corner from Jack in the Box from a couple who were retiring. He soon took down their sign and put up his own, Ware Designs.

It was during a year abroad at Saci Studio Arts Center in Florence, Italy, that his head was turned from the pursuit of a degree in psychology. He studied fine art, printmaking, etching and jewelry making, which he fell in love with. "I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life," he said.

He returned to the States, earned his bachelor of fine arts in jewelry design and silversmithing and, at the urging of buddies living in San Francisco, piled his earthly belongings into an aging 1965 Buick Skylark convertible and, not unlike Dustin Hoffman in "The Graduate," headed for Baghdad by the Bay and, eventually, Lafayette.

Now, he's set as firmly as one of his gemstones. His older daughter, Becky, graduated from Acalanes High School and is enrolled at the California Maritime Academy in Vallejo. Her sister, Katie Rose, is an Acalanes freshman.

For Ware, it's his customers - and their stories - that make his business life interesting. "My customers are the best," he said. "And, I try to provide a service of value to them."