William Morrison:  

Life As some of you may remember, I was rather involved in the craziness of the 60's, after Rich Giardino, Micheal Colombo, and Andre were involved in a car chase for possesion of a couple of joints, Rich was shot dead. With all the craziness of the drug scene and hanging out in Manhattan quite a bit at the Fillmore East, and at SUNY selling acid and hash, I had a slight epiphany and started learning how to make fine jewelry and cut gems at a small shop across from the train station in Stony Brook. A gentleman named Russ Baker owned a fine store there called Ecolin. After spending two years with Russ and going back to get my diploma ( busted for grass, hash, acid in Senior year and expelled ) I spent more time in Manhattan, this time learning about gems and diamonds andjewelry manufacturing. I went to NYU Fashion Institute for a few classes and other specialty certification schools GIA ( Gemological Institute of America ) and took on managing some stores in Port Jeff, Rocky Piont, and Setauket called Guy's and Doll's with someone who is still a good friend today EddieRosenberg.Russ and his wife Linda bought a new location at the ferry in P.J. at the Lighthouse shopping center still called Ecolin. I decided to move to California after a heartwrenching breakup with Pat Kiefer and had a great job waitng for me in Carmel, with a great house on the beach waiting for me in Santa Cruz. Paul Sparrow, friend from Bellport was living there and going to Santa Cruz University of CA. Had a great time in Santa Cruz ! Got even better at making jewelry, and met a very cool woman who had grown up living all over the world and also going to UCSC at a party at our house. Fell in Love and we moved in together. Meanwhile, I had contacted Michael Colombo and Sal Mendola, another jeweler and friend from PJ. We moved to a huge house with an attached large shop way up in serious 'Hippie Country" on Highway 9 (in the Santa Cruz mountains) and proceded to establish a very successfull wholesale...Expand for more