Our Mission

Laurie began working in the gemstone business as a part-time bookkeeper in the Los Angeles office of a German stonecutter, Hans-Dieter Haag in 1978. Within a year she was managing the office and had found a job she was ​“turned on” by! She was lucky enough to be able to sell some of the earliest Tsavorites, Tanzanites, Malayas ever to come out of East Africa. In 1981 Simon joined as a salesman but within a few months, Hans-Dieter decided to make some changes, and Laurie and Simon set up Watt Gems in their dining room.

In 1982 we opened our first office in Beverly Hills and for 12 years we operated from an office on Beverly Drive. In 1987 we formed a partnership with another German cutting house, August Mayer, creating Mayer & Watt and we have retained that name to this day, although we ended the partnership with August Mayer, on very good terms with our dear friend Uli Mayer in 1994.

We spent the first ten or so years focusing on gemstones from East Africa and South America, staying away from the Big Three, but in 1994 we began traveling to Sri Lanka and broadened our inventory horizons to include sapphire. We have since also worked with emeralds from Zambia, Colombia, and recently Ethiopia, although our Ethiopian adventure has sadly ended. Currently, we stock mainly Zambian Emeralds.

Laurie has always been fully involved in all aspects of the business, right through the birth of our two children, and now is lucky enough to have welcomed our son, Geoffrey into the company since 2009.

She has been a member of the Women’s Jewelry Association since the ​’80s, was very instrumental in starting the Ohio/​KY chapter, served as President, and is currently a Chapter Leader, sharing her experience with chapters around the country. Laurie is also involved in several local community groups.

Simon was working as a sales director in the medical field in Harley Street, London when he met Laurie at a dinner party in Los Angeles and after only knowing her for 10 days, found himself proposing marriage, in the Holiday Inn Broadway Hotel in January of 1981 in Tucson AZ!! A whirlwind engagement of six weeks ensued and in April of that year, he moved with his new bride to Los Angeles. Little did he know how important Tucson Az, was to become in his life.

After a few months of arriving he made an impromptu visit to the Tourmaline mine owned by Bill Larson in Fallbrook, with Marc Jobin an old friend of Laurie’s, and his fate was sealed! He pulled a tourmaline crystal out of a pocket of gravel underground and was immediately infected with the magic of gemstones. After only a few months selling at Hans-Dieter Haag, for Laurie, he set up Watt Gems in November of 1981, and their journey began.

After creating Mayer & Watt and joining the AGTA Trade Association and he was soon asked to join the board. Simon served on the board of AGTA for a total of 15 years, twice as Vice-president, over the next 25 years. Wearing many hats during his board tenures he found the most satisfaction in chairing the Spectrum competition for nearly ten years.

He served 6 years on the board of Jewelers Mutual Insurance company and currently is serving on several local boards within his community and is also active with a local thespian group, The Maysville Players.

One of the greatest challenges came when Geoffrey came into the company as the ​“father-son” dynamic began to unfold, but it has been a wonderful growth opportunity not just for the company, but personally, especially as Geoffrey has brought so many new skills and perspectives to the business.

Geoffrey started his journey in the industry being a road warrior for Mayer and Watt. Through his time selling on the road, he decided the industry had more space to grow. He recognized very early on that the digital space was ripe for exploration and he created an App that was gemstone inventory in your hand. If you haven’t downloaded it the link is Right here .… But his relationships on the road mixed with his push to innovate have set his work apart.

Being the only ​“artistic” member of the family, he quickly found that he could express his artistic side with gem photography. His work has been nationally published and recognized and is the foundation of our website and App.

In 2023 Geoffrey became a full managing partner in the company in recognition of his position in the business and to position him to take charge of the company when the Boss decides to retire!