Aug 22, 2007

Designing jewelry is a one-of-a-kind process for Zachary BloomBy Joan FinnMontclairTimes.com

Zachary Bloom is indeed a modern-day Renaissance man — a person gifted with multiple talents who particularly excels in the arts and the sciences.

As a drama therapist working in a Queens-based facility, serving the brain-injured, he employs the healing properties of the theater.

“At a time when I was pursuing my acting career, I realized how difficult it was to make it as an actor,” Bloom told The Times. “I needed to find a way to combine my love of theater with my love of helping people — and drama therapy was the answer.”

But it was after Bloom graduated with a master’s degree from New York University’s drama therapy program that his artistic talents took hold.

For several years now, along with his wife Fabiana, Bloom has honed his craft as a jewelry designer.

Bloom was raised in San Francisco, Calif., by his mother, but spent many years traveling an hour north to the wine country area to visit his dad on weekends and in the summer.

“It was at my father’s house in Sonoma County, that I was exposed to gemstones, art and beads,” he said. “My dad is a gemstone cutter, bead wholesaler and well-known California painter. He had his barn converted into a store called the Crystal Palace, filled with crystals, gemstones, rock formations, jewelry and art. It is there that I began to appreciate the beauty of gemstones.”

Bloom’s dad taught him how to cut gemstones on a diamond saw, and how to identify high-grade gemstone materials along with the ones of low-grade quality.

“Sometimes, I would make little gifts for friends by cutting various stones on his saws,” Bloom recalled. “But at the time, I was never really interested in his business for myself.”

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