In celebration of Valentine’s Day and SK Love Stories, it is only fitting that we chat with the couple that it all began with… Sofia and Geoff Kaman. Read on for a tale of two people who fell in love and together created a flourishing business and a beautiful family.
So tell us… How did it all begin?
Geoff and I met in Feb of 1998.
We met at work, more precisely the gym where we both worked in our twenties. I taught a 5:30AM spinning class to sleepy adults before running off to my day job of teaching riotous first graders. Geoff worked the opening shift, where he was a personal trainer while teaching himself computer coding till the wee hours of the night. We would see each other in passing, have fleeting conversations, and share a very basic common ground— the need for caffeine! Which brought us to our first date.
After class one morning, Geoff casually asked if he could talk to me. We stepped off to the side and he said in the most confident, yet easy-going way, “Would you like to go on a date with me?” And before I could answer he added, “how about for coffee?”
So we went, and we talked and talked about our life adventures to date. Geoff had been in the Marines, deployed in Iraq, come back to civilian life, spent time sailing a boat in the Caribbean, learned how to snowboard in Crested Butte, built airplane frames in Texas (where we both had grown up), drew comic books for fun, and had recently landed in LA where his dreams of working in graphics or a design based business lead him to learn coding. Meanwhile, I had quite the opposite life- gone diligently through college, then graduate school, then had a steady job as an elementary school teacher. I loved creating jewelry (an obsessive hobby, really) but I didn’t have the confidence to believe that I could follow my passion and my heart to design jewelry for a living. I think it’s true about opposites attracting…!
Wedding details, please!
We got married in December of 2000.
Both of us wanted a tiny wedding to celebrate with immediate family and friends, 40 to be exact. Santa Monica was our home and our wedding was held there, at a quaint historical building called The Victorian. It was an evening affair, held in the upstairs library of this beautiful old home. Being notoriously camera-shy, I told my parents I didn’t want a photographer at the wedding. To which my mother replied, “Then I suppose there won’t be a wedding!” So, begrudgingly, I hunted for a wedding photographer. Now, let’s remember, friends, wedding photography in 2000 looked more like stiff, posed family line-ups than the beautiful, editorial, natural style that we so commonly (and fortunately) have access to today.
In any case, I finally found a friend of a friend, who had once shot a wedding and had a camera. Yes, high standards. I told him I didn’t want anything contrived, just to disappear into the background. Our wedding was shot on film, not to be artful, but because it was pre-digital everything. In retrospect, I really should have listened better to my mom about taking that aspect a little more seriously, as most of our pics are out of focus, poorly lit, and well, look like anybody’s uncle with a camera could have taken them!
And about the ring(s)…
When Geoff proposed, much before we started our jewelry business, he knew I would want to design my ring so he gave it to me in a simple four-prong solitaire. Little did he know that this would set the stage for endless renditions. In fact, the diamond has now come out of a ring entirely and is fitted to a sweet gold pod pendant that I wear on my “family” charm necklace. I guess you could say I’m quite sentimental about things in non-traditional ways! For example, I always have to wear a ring on my left hand when I leave the house. Which ring that may be, however, changes with my mood. Over the last 18 years I’ve worn about six different rings, some of which I’ve made, some vintage, some have been given, others bought for myself, all of which have brought a smile to my face when I look down at it. They’ve been guilty of distracting me when light perfectly hits while gripping a steering wheel, or created countless brilliant sparkles on an airplane. They’ve reminded me of joyful times, as well as have been angrily left on the nightstand after a spat or two.
Whatever ring I’m wearing doesn’t really matter I suppose. My feeling about rings is that they are treasures to be enjoyed. They are a beautiful representation of a couple’s love, but also a representation of personal style and can reflect the changes we go through in life together.
Tell us a bit about your lives now.
Eighteen years later, and we haven’t killed each other yet! 😉 Our greatest treasure is our daughter Ella, who’s turning 13 in one month!
It was shortly after our wedding, in January of 2001, that Geoff encouraged me to take a chance and start my jewelry business. In 2014 Geoff was able to join me full-time in our business as our technical and web guru, but throughout that entire time he’s been my partner, my champion, my rock.
Last year we opened a new, bigger space where we work under the same roof, like we did many years ago. A lot has changed, but also a lot has stayed the same! ❤️❤️❤️
