John Muscarella has been making beautiful things with his hands his whole life, and now he gets to pass along his knowledge to new generations of creators at the Ventura jewelry store he owns, Lynn’s Jewelry Studio, which has been serving customers since 1970.
Muscarella’s dad enjoyed woodworking and introduced his 10 kids early on how to use tools, including the lathe, in the garage of their Thousand Oaks home. When Muscarella was a sophomore at Newbury Park High School, he figured out his true calling wasn’t in wood, but rather in gemstones and gold.
“I took a jewelry class in high school and I fell in love with making jewelry,” Muscarella, 65, told Ventana Monthly. “Six months out of high school, I got a job, and I’ve been making jewelry professionally ever since.”
Muscarella still remembers the arts and crafts classes Carolyn Pinkston taught at NPHS that inspired him so deeply, the first one which also included leather and ceramics. He ended up taking her elective jewelry classes all the way through his senior year…