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How KIM’S GOLD DUST Got Started
The seed for KIM’S GOLD DUST was planted back in June of 1980 with my purchase of a 1960 Honduras Maroon Corvette. It was to be a “driver and fun” car. All it needed was a good paint job and it would be road worthy. Of course, quite a few changes had been made to the car, such as: installing a 350 engine, a stereo system and four-speed transmission. Fortunately, the previous owner kept all the original parts hoping to someday restore the car back to original. My mom and I looked at each other and we were both thinking the same thing!
Three weeks later the doors, hood, truck lid and body were removed from the chassis. We spent that winter removing layers and layers of paint from all the parts and body which sat on bales of hay in the garage.
Then the search for parts and correctness was on! After reading manuals and researching parts my mom and I attended several Corvette swap meets and shows. At that time, there were not many original parts to be found or even used parts that were in restorable condition. Reproduction parts were just in their infancy and those first reproduction items were not of high quality or exact authenticity. A lot of our time was spent walking around rummaging through boxes and searching on tables and tarps for just the right part. We met many friendly avid Corvette people who were willing to share their experiences and knowledge to help us along. Many of those people are still good friends of ours. What kept us going was that we saw the car all coming together!
My mom and I did about 60% of the restoration ourselves, leaving the outside body work, paint, chrome and soft-top installation to the professionals. The chrome and paint are what cost me so much time on the project. Tragically, the car was already wearing three coats of Honduras Maroon when the body shop had a fire. Not long after that, all the chrome parts were hauled out of a chrome shop that caught on fire. Luckily all survived and only a couple of chrome parts were beyond re-plating and only the spare tire wheel came up missing.
Eight years later, “Baby Jaws” as it was named for the “shark” teeth grill and side cove spears on the ’60, was ready for its debut. To our amazement and pleasure it won the gold at Bloomington in June 1988. Since then, the car has won many awards, such as: NCRS Duntov, NCRS Ladies Choice Award, AACA Senior Grand National, several preservation awards, and Best of Show at Corvettes at Carlisle in 1989. Also at Corvettes at Carlisle, it was selected for the 1999 Chip’s Choice Display, the 2002 Evolution Display and the NCRS Gallery in 2005.
To reward myself for achievements at select shows, I would look up the Henry Paul Co. booth (the original Corvette jeweler) and purchase a piece of jewelry. What’s closer to a woman’s heart?! Henry is the maker of the original Corvette jewelry, an avid Corvette person himself. I loved the quality and amount of detail he put into his pieces. Over the years we became acquainted. I have all the jewelry I purchased from Henry years ago and it still looks great.
In 2003, after being downsized from the company I worked for, I decided to take a risk and combine my hobby and my love for Corvette jewelry. After a trip to Henry Paul’s shop in Chicago, my business – KIM’S GOLD DUST, was on its way. The first show I attended was in June 2003 at the NationalCorvetteMuseum where theCorvette 50th Celebration was held and what a lifetime experience that was for me.
Today, I also own a 1992 Bright Aqua Corvette convertible with white top and interior which was selected for the 2002 Evolution Display at Corvettes at Carlisle. This is my driver and fun car with only 15,000 miles on it. I hope to show it in NCRS as the car is all original except for the drive belt and battery.
June 2008, KIM’S GOLD DUST celebrated its 5th Anniversary. My associates are my mom, Jane who has been involved since the beginning, my very good friends, Toni and and the newest team member is Nicole. We have a lot of fun wherever we go. We’ve traveled several hundred miles to shows all over the USA including North and South Carolina, Texas, South Dakota and Colorado to name a few. Our main show and closest to home is Corvettes at Carlisle in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where we spent the most amount of time while restoring “Baby Jaws”. We’ve met many nice folks during our travels with the car and with this business. Several vendors have been very helpful with our endeavor as well.
KIM’S GOLD DUST has become a leading distributor of 14k gold and sterling silver Corvette jewelry carrying an extensive line of C1-C6, 50th Anniversary and ZO6 for men and women. Please check out the online catalog for rings, pendants, bracelets, watches, earrings, ankle bracelets and more. We also have exclusive and limited-edition Corvette jewelry that you won’t find anywhere else and Henry enjoys doing custom pieces for individuals.
Kim and the Gold Dust Team (Jane, Toni and Nicole)
I thought you might like to see some before and after photos of the restoration of Baby Jaws.
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