Tammy Newman didn't have any luck on the Web finding the perfect wedding ring for her husband-to-be.

She looked on the Internet for a design that would match her engagement ring. Nothing matched the image she had in mind, so she sketched the ring on paper and took it to her friend and long-time jeweler J. Shea Leech, owner of J. Shea Jewelers, 3246 S. 27th St.

Using the Revo 540, a machine which mills a piece of jewelry out of wax based on a 3-D design, Leech's wife, Courtney, was able to convert the sketch into a 14-carat gold ring with nine baguette stones.

''We hit fast-forward into the technology age,'' J. Shea Leech said of the new machine, which is boosting his business.

The machine Leech owns is one of about 450 in the country and the only one in the Big Country, said Chris Glacer, account development manager for Gemvision, the company that makes the Revo 540.

''Independent retail jewelers use our system to combat a lot of the mass merchandisers,'' Glaser said.

Leech said other industries, such as architecture and auto-makers, have been using Computer-Aided Design/Computer-Aided Manufacturing technology for years. But, CAD/CAM is fairly new to the jewelry industry.

Rich Youmans, director of communications for Manufacturing Jewelers and Suppliers of America, said the technology has been around since the early- to mid-90s for the jewelry industry, but now it's really coming full force.

Traditionally, some independent jewelers would hand carve custom designs - a tedious process involving several hours of craftsmanship. But, the machine offers more precision with designs.

''Most people don't want a cookie-cutter ring,'' Leech said. ''This has made it a lot nicer.''

Customers have come into his store with sketches and ideas. One customer, Leech said, came in with a 3-D paper model of the ring he wanted for his girlfriend. Another brought in a photo of a family member. Leech was able to design a pendant with the image of that person's face on it.

''I can't tell you how many sketches I've seen on a cocktail napkin,'' he said.

The machine has expanded Leech's business, and he believes the possibilities are endless, he said.

Leech can e-mail customers designs and take orders without ever meeting them in person. He now has international customers.

Newman of Hawley saw a video demonstration of the jewelry-designing machine at the Bridal Extravaganza in February, just days after Leech set it up in his store.

''I didn't want something like any other guy's ring,'' Newman said.

Newman said Leech sent her copies of the ring design through e-mail. She was able to take part in the process by designing the ring, but she also saw the progression.

''It's incredible to watch them turn a black-and-white drawing into the actual ring,'' Newman said. ''It is just amazing.''

Newman said her fiance, John Tucker, hasn't seen the ring yet. They're getting married Saturday.

''There is not another one like it,'' Newman said. ''They made our dream come true by making the perfect ring for us.''

Leech said his next venture will be to design a line of jewelry called the J. Shea Collection.

J. Shea Jewelers is a dream of mine come true.

I was afforded the opportunity to help my dad with his lawn mowing business from the age of 13. It taught me valuable lessons of hard work, running a business, and dealing with customers. I worked with him until the age of 16 when I began driving. Then, I received valuable work experience in a real world atmosphere and with a jewelry store.

On March 22, 1999 I opened my first store in the Mall of Abilene. It was a 100 square-foot kiosk.

I was a youth minister in Sweetwater, going to college and running the store. I ran the store with the help of four employees until Nov. 5, 1999. when we opened J. Shea Jewelers in its current location at 3246 S. 27th in the Chimney Plaza Shopping Center.

I graduated from Hardin-Simmons University in 2003.

I have now been published in Young Money Magazine, InStore Magazine, National Jeweler & Abilene-Reporter News.

We have enjoyed tremendous success with God leading us the whole way.We keep Him at the forefront of everything we do.We have remodeled three times in our current location to accommodate our growing business.

We are now at full compacity, with a tremendous selection of jewelry to choose from.We have the  CAD/CAM jewelry design system to make you a true one of a kind jewelry creation. We can custom design anything you can imagine, and best of all, you can see it before we make it with our computer system.

We will continue to grow and service our customers in outstanding ways.

God Bless,
Jeremy Shea Leech.

Many people are going through life just “holding on”, waiting until Jesus comes. They are letting the day-to-day grind steal their joy and the song in their heart. They are just maintaining and not flourishing in life.

I want us to go through today and look at how to put that song back in our life. How we can put that non-steal-able joy in our hearts, and constantly have a Song of Thanksgiving resonating from us.

We can be certain that problems are going to come in life. If we are waiting to be happy, content, or joyful when our problems are gone; we will be waiting our whole life.

We have to begin looking at what is right in our life. We have to look for things to be thankful for in our lives. Problems are going to happen, we can be certain of that. Sometimes they are small problems like a flat tire, running late, or a fight with your spouse. Sometimes they are big problems like illness, death, financial difficulties, or a marriage on the rocks. But if we allow the problems of our life to weigh us down, defeat us, and affect our demeanor; then the enemy is winning.

God said that He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. If we allow the problems of this world to control us then we are participating in self-defeating behavior. We will go around with negative attitudes & we will look for reasons to complain. You also will fill your mind with self-defeating thoughts, negative music, TV shows, or movies. You will also associate with people that feed into your complaining or gossiping routine.

Let’s go through and observe some key components that we can implement in our lives to get back a song of Thanksgiving in our hearts, and live the life that God intended us to live. To put that song of thanksgiving back in our hearts we must first:

I. Let go of the Past

If you made mistakes in your past or someone has done you wrong you must let it go or the past will deplete your energy emotionally, physically, & spiritually. When I think of someone who had to let go of his past in order to move forward and live the abundant life that God had in store for him, I think of Paul. Paul himself writes in 1 Corinthians 15: 9 & 10, “ For I am the least of the apostles, who am not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God, But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain, but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.”

God will forgive you, and He will do amazing things in your life if you will let Him. We are the ones holding our lives back by not forgiving ourselves. The bible reads in Psalm 86:5, “For Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in Loving kindness to all who call upon Thee.” You can’t change your past. You have to take whatever steps necessary to get past what has already been done. Maybe you need to make peace with God. He is ready and willing to forgive you. 2 Corinthians 7:10 reads, “For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance that is without regret, leading to salvation; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” Maybe you need to make peace with another person, maybe your harboring those seeds of bitterness because you feel they “did you wrong”. The bible reads in Mathew 6:14, “For if you forgive men their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” And in Ephesians 4:32 the bible gives us instruction on how to deal with one another, “ And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”

II. G.I.G.O. - Garbage In-Garbage Out philosophy.

You can’t expect to plant weeds and grow sweet smelling roses. Likewise, you can’t plant seeds of bitterness, gossip, and self-defeat and expect to reap joy, happiness, and a song of thanksgiving. Along that same line of thought what we listen to, what we watch, and the people that we associate with will affect us. What we let in our hearts and minds is what we will get out.

If we listen to praise and worship music or hymns while we’re driving to work or school, guess what you’ll be humming all day. On the other hand if your driving to work or school and the last song you heard before you shut off your car was, “Your no good, your no good, your no good, baby your no good”- guess what you’ll be humming all day!

If you’re always looking for the negative at your job, at your home, or at your church, guess what you’re going to find - the negative! The point is we must allow positive, uplifting, and praiseworthy thoughts & actions to surround us at all times. The bible instructs us in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.”

III. We must carry ourselves as Christians.

We must not go around looking like somebody just ran over our dog, even if that is the case. We must know, and let others know, that we are children of the most-high God. The victory is already won. We are victorious! The bible proclaims in 1 Corinthians 15: 54 & 55, “But when the perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that it is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory, O death where is your sting.” That is a reason to have a heart of thanksgiving and an unexplainable song in our heart!

-Jeremy Shea Leech

1. Realize that you are a sinner. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God..." (Romans 3:23)

2. Realize that a price must be paid for your sin. "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passes upon all men, for that all have sinned..." (Romans 5:12) "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23)

3. Realize that Jesus paid the price! "But God demonstrates his love toward us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

4. Ask Christ to save you. "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:13)

Are you willing to ask Jesus to be your Savior? Then please ask Him to save your soul in a prayer like this:
Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. I deserve to go to hell. But you said you would save me if I would call upon you. Please take away all my sins, dear Lord, and take me to Heaven when I die. Thank you for saving me! Help me now to live for you. Amen.

"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe in the name of the Son of God." (1 John 5:13)

If you prayed the above prayer and would like to know more about growing in the grace of God and serving the Lord Jesus Christ, please e-mail us : jshea@jsheajewelers.net
We encourage you to get in a bible based church and make God #1 in your life.