Viir Fine Jewelry & Art

This is not just a jewelry store! Owner and gemologist Jeff Velasco has been working with precious metals and gemstones in Tucson since 1980. A fourth generation Tucson native and graduate of Catalina High School and the University of Arizona, Jeff was inspired to go into business for himself because his father, Carlos Velasco was an entrepreneur himself. Carlos, who earned his engineering degree at University of Arizona and his MBA at Stanford University, returned to Tucson in 1949 and started a company called Cactus Craft of Arizona, which manufactured and sold southwestern lamps and novelty items made with cholla wood all over the west and southwest states. At its peak, he employed 65 people in Tucson.