Denver Businessman Gives Colorado State University's College Of Liberal Arts Collection Of Precious And Semi-Precious Stones
Friday, May 9, 1997
FORT COLLINS--A prominent Denver jeweler who credits
Colorado State University for giving him the skills to launch a
successful business has given the College of Liberal Arts a
collection of gems worth $50,000.
John Atencio, a jewelry designer who got his start in Fort
Collins in 1976, said the purpose of the contribution was to
"give back to the university in a way that illustrates my deep
appreciation for the education and support I received while a
student at Colorado State."
Proceeds from a portion of the collection--which includes
rubies, pink tourmaline and tanzanite, to name a few--will create
an Atencio Endowment Scholarship for art students, fund art
exhibits and visiting artist lectures. The university also is
looking for a way to exhibit the stones.
"We are extremely grateful for this unusual but very
generous gift and it seems appropriate that these stones will
help future generations of artists," said Loren Crabtree, dean of
the College of Liberal Arts.
Atencio, a Colorado native, joined Colorado State on a
basketball scholarship in 1968 and attended the university
through 1973. For two years, he pursued an art degree but later
changed his major to business. Realizing that he missed
expressing himself artistically, Atencio enrolled in a night
jewelry-making course at Colorado State, a move that would
ultimately prompt him to blend two passions into one successful
business.
"My classes at Colorado State were a perfect mix," Atencio
said. "The business courses gave me the understanding of the
entrepreneurial opportunities that existed, while the art classes
gave me the creative energy and release that I needed to become a
successful jewelry designer."
Atencio went into the restaurant business for a couple of
years in Fort Collins, then opened his first retail jewelry store
across from the Colorado State campus in 1976. His work featured
the original and unusual designs that make his creations well-
known today. Atencio's business currently consists of seven
retail stores, including the location in Fort Collins, four in
Denver, one in Boulder and another in Aspen. In 1983, Atencio and
his brother, Michael, launched a wholesale division of the
company that manufactures and distributes Atencio's jewelry
designs to 250 buyers nationwide. His company employs 100 people.
Over the years, Atencio said he collected numerous precious
and semi-precious stones from around the world that showed
potential for one-of-a-kind pieces. With the business growing
rapidly and the design work for jewelry product lines occupying
so much of his time, Atencio said he decided the stone collection
should go to Colorado State as a gift to be used by others rather
than to have its beauty remain unrealized.
"I lived and worked in Fort Collins for 16 years and feel
very connected to the community," Atencio said. "Even though my
business is now centered in Denver, my heart is still in Fort
Collins and at Colorado State."
This page © 1997-1998 World Wide Express, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Many news stories on RamLine.com come from the Colorado State University Public Relations Office. You can get copies of the news releases directly by filling out this form.