How to configure installed Ruby and gems?
Create .gemrc file in your home path. Put these lines:
gemhome: /home/CHANGE_IT_TO_USERNAME/.gems
gempath:
- /home/CHANGE_IT_TO_USERNAME/.gems
Documentation about gem configuration file
I'm sorry if I've misunderstood the question but can you not just do:
export GEM_PATH=/home/myown
Maybe put it in your .bashrc.