1. Pearls for the cultured
Thomson native learned all about Southern specialty
By Gracie Shepherd
Staff Writer
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Some trips are for fun, some are for business, and some change a person's life.
When Thomson native India Rows took three months in 2006 to travel all over Asia, she took with her a name and
number for a friend's "pearl contact" to buy high quality cultured pearls for wholesale prices. Once she got to China and
saw firsthand the industry process and pearl farms, she was captivated.
"It was fascinating," she said.
Her mother always encouraged her to buy jewelry at meaningful times and places, and to buy pieces that would last a
lifetime.
Rows stocked up on pearls, bringing jewelry home as keepsakes and gifts. Her sister, Molly McDowell, had an art
gallery at the time and Rows started to sell her pearl jewelry at gallery shows. The jewelry was a big hit from the start,
Rows recalls, and people began asking her to have private home shows for them and their friends.
"They would say, 'Here come the pearl girls!' and the name stuck," Rows said.
The Pearl Girls
In 2008, Rows and McDowell started their jewelry business, The Pearl Girls.
"It started very organically," she said. "It just sort of grew."
Originally, the business was home shows with a few sales representatives. Word spread, and jewelers and gift shops
began asking Rows whether she would be interested in selling her products through them. She was thrilled, and started
seeking out more retail outlets.
After a few years, McDowell stepped back and The Pearl Girls became Rows' solo project.
In 2008, Rows went to Los Angeles to study at the Gemological Institute of America. She received her certificate as a
Certified Pearl Grader.
"I wanted my hands in actually knowing what I was looking at," she said.
Southern women traditionally receive pearls at milestone times, Rows said, and she and her sisters were no different.
"They're a classic rite of passage for Southern women," she said. "I remember getting my first pearl necklace."
Now, she gets calls from loved ones wanting to buy their girls pearls for graduations, births, anniversaries, weddings
and gifts. There's almost always a special story, she said, and it gives her a lot of joy to be a part of these "big days" in
their lives.
"The crux of what I do is to create meaningful jewelry for people for meaningful times," she said.
Rows' line of jewelry isn't extremely large, but the majority of her business is for the classic pieces: Her bestseller is the
standard 7-millimeter, 18-inch pearl necklace.
The timeless pieces range from the 2-millimeter "baby" pearl bracelet to a 10-millimeter black pearl necklace, but her
seasonal collections and more contemporary styles are also popular.
"There's nothing wrong with fun costume jewelry, but it's so much more special to buy things with meaning," she said.
A lot of people must agree, because The Pearl Girls jewelry is available in more than 35 retail locations nationwide,
eight of those being in the Augusta area, and she has 15 sales reps who host jewelry parties. Rows splits her time
between Thomson and Athens, Ga., and she meets with customers on a regular basis to show them the jewelry in
person.

2. "You have to see the pearls," she said. "Pearls are so individual, and they're not very photogenic."
National recognition
The Pearl Girls were featured in the April 2011 issue of Southern Living , and the magazine praised Rows' jewelry as
"pieces every Southern woman should own."
Rows wears her own jewelry every day, as do her mother, sisters and friends.
Although her pearls are beautiful enough to catch the eye of a national publication, Rows said it's paramount to her that
she keep her inventory in a reasonable price range.
When she first started her business, a friend gave her some advice he learned in business school. All businesses, he
said, can emphasize one of three things: a high-quality product, excellent customer service, or low prices. They can't do
all three.
"When he said that, I just took that as a challenge," she said. "I told myself, I'm going to have all three."
It's taken Rows only five years to go from zero to 60 with her business, and she doesn't plan on stopping any time
soon.
"When I look back on that trip to Asia, I had no idea it would change the direction of my life," she said.
She's currently working on designing her first solo collection for later this year, and gearing up to display her jewelry at
a wholesale jewelry market this summer in Atlanta.
"To see her success is fantastic," McDowell said.
McDowell said she and her sisters grew up as "little salesgirls," making money from an early age selling vegetables,
lemonade and even earning a golf cart by selling memberships for the Chamber of Commerce.
"We were raised as entrepreneurs," McDowell said.
Aside from the art gallery she has owned for 10 years, McDowell is the art coordinator for the Westobou festivals and
an art consultant for Georgia Health Sciences University.
Staying small for now
Rows wants to continue to improve the business, but for now she's happy with the current size.
"It's the perfect pace right now, very manageable" she said.
Rows and her husband, Dave, have a 13-month-old son, Jack, and another child is on the way. The flexibility of her
business has allowed her to be with her family while still doing something she's passionate about.
Her staff, excepting her sales reps, is just herself and an agent in Los Angeles who is working on expanding the retail
line out West. For now, Rows wants it to stay that way.
"How cool is it that I can personally pack up people's jewelry and send them little notes," she said. "If I hired someone,
I want them to be just as passionate as me."
By keeping her business small enough to maintain her individual style, she feels she'll be able to offer a higher quality
product customers won't be able to find anywhere else.
"I know what I want to do," she said. "I want to keep finding absolutely gorgeous pearls, making beautiful collections
and doing something I believe in."
India Rows
FAMILY: Husband, Dave; son, Jack (13 months)
HOMETOWN: Thomson

3. EDUCATION: University of Georgia, B.S. in therapeutic recreation
INTERESTS: Traveling, reading, family