Our Staff

Kathleen Kimball

CEO/President

Kathleen was born for this business, her childhood vacations were motivated by what business goal could be satisfied by that trip and her earliest memories are sitting on her dad’s lap behind the jewelry counter while he helped customers.

Although she tried her hand at different industries, nothing was as much fun as the jewelry store, so when the opportunity arose to purchase the store with her husband Charlie she didn’t hesitate. She loves the lasting beauty of the jewelry and the client relationships that jewelry creates. Kathleen will never tire of turning an idea into an heirloom.

What Kathleen wasn’t born into, she learned. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from USC in 2007 and a Master’s in Business Administration from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business in 2014. In her absence from George Thompson Diamond Company, she co-founded a PR and Marketing firm and worked in Sports Marketing. She loves to cook, bake and quilt when not spending time with her husband Charlie and kids Hannah and Gordon.

Charlie Kimball

Vice President

Charlie married George’s daughter and was welcomed into the George Thompson Diamond Company family, and has been in his current role since last fall.

Though Charlie grew up in Europe, he’s got Ventura County roots and his family has been farming locally for generations. Charlie’s career in racing took him away from California and all over the world, though for the last 12 years, he and Kathleen have called Indianapolis home.

Some of Charlie’s favorite things about this business are the sense of family and the legacy of George within the community. He also loves hearing about all the special events like engagements, weddings, birthdays, and anniversaries spanning generations that everyone at George Thompson has had the honor of being a part of! Charlie enjoys spending time with his family and being outdoors in his free time.

Kamlyn Burnett

Store Manager

Kam has been a part of the George Thompson Diamond Company for over thirty years since her senior year at Ventura High School.

Kam started part time after school running errands, and after graduation began working full time in the office, supporting sales and anywhere else she was needed, growing into her current role as Store Manager.

A Ventura native, Kam has so many wonderful stories from her time at George Thompson Diamond Company and loves the industry. She’s seen many couples who came in to buy their engagement and wedding rings return with their babies and years later bring those kids in to buy their own wedding rings. One of her favorite custom jewelry pieces was for a long time friend who came in wanting to create a beautiful pendant with our designer out of her mother’s diamonds and stones. Kam loves spending time with her family, camping, backyard barbecues and watching her sons play sports, and says the people she works with are like family too!

Myrna Ong

Bio Coming Soon!

Matchima Prasansin

Bio Coming Soon!

Terry Lopez

Senior Sales Associate

Terry has been with the George Thompson Diamond Company for 27 years and is our Visual Display Specialist as well as assisting with new merchandise selections and representing the company at public events.

Terry also grew up in the business in the Oxnard area, attending the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising while working at Bullocks and Macy’s, returning to work at her dad’s business Oxnard Jewelers. There is a real family feel at the George Thompson Diamond company and Terry is very grateful for the opportunity to work with this group, our team often sees each other more during the day than their own families.

There are so many wonderful customer stories over the years it’s hard to pick just one, but Terry has developed several special friendships with customers and remembers a special time that a client was interested in upgrading her original wedding set with a larger diamond but original rings that she couldn’t wear due to arthritis in her fingers. Our jeweler came up with the idea to add a special snap shank that would open so she could easily put on her rings and incorporated the larger diamond as well, a dream come true for this happy customer! Terry enjoys daily walks and time with family and friends.

Sue Peden

Sales Associate

Sue got her start at George Thompson Diamond Company 21 years ago after asking George to stay on after being hired part time for the holiday season.

Born in St. Louis, she moved to California in 1988, graduated from Rio Mea while getting her industry start selling jewelry at the Esplinade Mall and completed Diamond Grading at GIA in 2003. Sue says this job feels like family and along with loving what she does it’s a bonus to know she is a part of something so special.

Her favorite customer story is from a couple married for 70 years, the husband climbed into a bedroom window and they traveled to the next town to be married because her parents did not approve. He purchased his 70th anniversary ring with us that day! There are also special moments like taking a client’s grandmother’s diamond engagement ring and including it in the design for the granddaughter’s engagement ring. Sue is happily married to husband Murray and you may just find them shooting pool when not with their wonderful children Rachel, Allison, Emma, Isabella and Cash.

Misty Daftary

Sales Associate

Misty has been with George Thompson Diamond Company for 10 years and feels fortunate to have had the opportunity to join the team right when another longtime employee was retiring. Misty grew up in Iran where she studied agriculture and moved to the US when she was 21 years old.

Misty got over 30 years experience in the jewelry industry and has a lot of clients who remember her from her earlier days in the business.

For Misty, working with people is her favorite part of what she does and one of her fondest memories is creating a beautiful custom ring for a client from the three rings that her mom had left her, feeling it is always so special to create something new with sentimental family pieces. When she’s not at George Thompson Diamond company, you’ll find her spending time with her grandchildren and gardening.

Robert Gutierrez

Bio Coming Soon!

Paula Banuelos

Sales Associate

Paula took a chance two and a half years ago to see if George Thompson Diamond Company was hiring for the holidays and after joining part time has fulfilled many roles on the road to her current full time position.

Paula brought with her decades of sales experience, 15 years of which has been in the jewelry industry. Paula says continuing the trust of George’s established relationships with generations of clients is something she’s especially proud of and feels the quality of the pieces she can show to both new and long-time customers helps keep it growing.

Creating custom pieces is one of the most exciting and fulfilling parts of the job for Paula, there is an opportunity to collaborate in house to ensure their satisfaction in a piece of jewelry that will delight for a lifetime. Whether it’s creating a custom wedding set for a couple, changing a mounting on an old ring and adding a stone to make a brilliant new piece, there is always delight in seeing customers appreciate how their jewelry helps tell their stories. Outside of work Paula enjoys spending time with her children and grandchildren, going to church and the beach.

Natalie W.

Sales, Social Media Specialist, After Sales Quality Control

Natalie has been with George Thompson Diamond Company for 10 years after getting her start here as a greeter.

Born in Chiang Mai, Thailand and family friends for years with George and his wife Toi, she’s now also in charge of our social media accounts, as well as answering customer questions, supporting repairs and completing quality inspections. Though she’s spent time in Pennsylvania and Texas, Natalie grew up in California and found her passion for jewelry after attending Ventura College and especially loves the great support system she has with her co-workers because she’s learned so much from their collective years of experience.

George once told Natalie that a wedding ring is one of the most important purchases of someone’s life and she really takes that to heart, putting her all into any custom ring requests and making sure she fully understands what her customer envisioned so she can bring their dream ring to life! When Natalie isn’t at work you can find her chasing waterfalls, grabbing coffee with friends, exploring hiking trails and collecting sea glass and unique rocks to paint for family and friends. She always encourages anyone who has had jewelry passed down to them to remember it can be redesigned to your liking…she always says it’s better to have jewelry on you than stashed away in a drawer!

Frank Gonzalez

Bio Coming Soon!

Darwin Estrada

Bio Coming Soon!