NOVEMBER 10 • 2022 | 53

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MATTHEW GROSS

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started a GoFundMe account 
for the Fuentes family. Once the 
story of Gross’ mission to help the 
Fuentes family hit a jewelry trade 
publication, calls started coming 
in. The first call came from Mark 
Tapper of Tapper’s Jewelry in West 
Bloomfield, Troy and Novi.
“Mark called and said that 
they had a bunch of equipment 
that they were going to sell but, 
after reading the article, Tapper’s 
decided to donate it to Jesus’ 
jewelry business. It was pretty 
amazing,” says Gross, who plans 
to go back to San Miguel de 
Allende in February for a month 
this time.
Gross’ suitcase is already packed 
with tools to donate. And the 
plans have been finalized for 
Gross to take a small group of 
fellow jewelry designers on an 
inaugural culture and architecture 

tour of the area. By 2024, Gross 
plans to officially launch a new 
touring business.
After the article came out, 
calls started coming in from 
all over the country. Gesswein 
Jewelry Tools in Bridgeport, 
Conn., donated a large number 
of discontinued items. Soon, 
Gross had received over $7,000 in 
equipment, tools and gemstone 
donations. That’s 500 pounds that 
Gross had to figure out how to get 

An example of Jesus Villaverde 
Fuentes’ self-taught engraving from 
the tools Gross sent him.

LEFT: The crate 
arrives in San Miguel 
De Allende Mexico. 
RIGHT, TOP TO 
BOTTOM: Jesus 
Villaverde Fuentes 
teaches kids jewelry 
making in his home 
studio in San Miguel 
de Allende. Some 
of the kids Jesus 
Villaverde Fuentes 
has taught.