Deepa Bharath
Mary Barr had good taste. And she knew it very well.
In fact, she was proud of it.
Mary knew gems and stones as well as she knew every nook and
corner of Newport Beach, the community she came to with her husband
Charles H. Barr in 1959. Together, she and her husband, a
second-generation watchmaker, started a jewelry store on Balboa
Island. Five years later, they opened a second store in Westcliff
Plaza in Newport Beach.
Her husband died in 1973, but Mary kept the store. She had used
her refined aesthetic abilities and art background to decorate the
store. After Charles' death, she quickly began to learn more about
their wares.
She not only earned a diploma from the Gemological Institute of
America, but also ended up being the first female member of the
California Jewelers Assn. She became the association's president in
1984.
Her passion for what she did was unsurpassed. In the 1970s and
'80s, she traveled extensively with jewelers' groups. She went all
over the world, attending workshops and seminars, watching masters in
action, and touring diamond and opal mines. Her daughter even has a
picture of Mary standing on a ladder, stepping down into an opal mine
in Australia.
She became well known locally as a gemologist and appraiser of
precious stones and gems. Sitting in her small back-room office at
the store, bifocals and a loupe for appraising gems slung around her
neck on separate chains, Mary offered her services to the people who
walked through the door.
She also designed jewelry. Often, customers would bring in old
heirloom jewelry or stuff they once liked, but didn't anymore. And
Mary would take it apart and craft a piece to their liking. She was
good at visualizing and capturing a client's dream ring or pendant.
Mary had a strong presence. She was about 5-foot-4 and weighed
about 150 pounds. But you couldn't help but notice the woman, her
style, grace and elegance.
She had a beautiful wardrobe. Mary often designed and sewed her
own clothes. Her favorite colors were royal blue, aquamarine and
purple. And her well-chosen jewelry added more sparkle to her
scintillating personality. She loved them all: rings, necklaces,
strands of white pearls, earrings.
But her favorites were the two rings she wore often -- a domed
ring with a blue-star sapphire and a ballerina ring, which was
basically a diamond in the center embraced by baguettes that tapered
off like a ballerina's tutu.
After 43 years in the business, Mary sold her store to new
