September 23, 2010
September 17, 2010
September 13, 2010
The "Local" Lingo...
We're a small family store, which among other things, means that if you live in Colorado and commission a ring from us, then you're shopping "local." The local lingo is popping up a lot lately, and we have to say that it's encouraging to see our neighbors living and shopping and eating all in their own community. While this may be a new concept for some people, we have to be honest, as a small shop with 4 people (six if you include the pooches) we've been operating under the banner of "local" for quite a while. In Jay's case, almost 20 years, which frankly, was before the "local thing" starting popping up in GQ on a monthly basis.
Of course the concept of a local jeweler, is hardly new. Most small towns and downtowns of major cities have an established jeweler who've been servicing generations of the same family. It's only been in that last couple of decades that the Big Chains and Waljewels, the McJewelers, if you will, really became a force in the jewelry world. The McJewelers have deep stock in items that are manufactured cheaply by the thousands in China. We see a lot of this jewelry walking into our store for repairs every day, and we have to break hearts when we tell our clients' that often it is un-repairable due to the nature of how cheaply it is made. Generally speaking, the cheaper the jewelry the less likely it is that a goldsmith can do even a minor repair. But maybe I'm getting carried away from my point here...
There's a place for the McJewelers... because of them everyone has the opportunity to own diamonds and gold. We're not snobs... we may frequent the farmers market and had a Denver carpenter make a beautiful dresser for us, BUT we've bought furniture from IKEA and eggs from Super Target. So who are we to judge?
We just truly love what we do. We make fine jewelry. We do this not for the sake of calling ourselves "Designers" (we use that term as a describer but don't put much stock in it) but instead for the opportunity to be a part of something and to actually make a living with our hands and skills. It's also what we know, it's what we've been doing for years. Again, just ask Jay what his first job was! We're lucky to have been a part of some of the most important times in our clients' lives; engagements, births, graduations, anniversaries and the like. Jewelry in these cases becomes a part of the family story and history. Celebrating those events with something thoughtful, handmade and quality is a great honor for us, as well as a beautiful way to honor the family event itself. If that means you're shopping "local" then that's just fine, too.
Here's an example of some thoughtful client friends who celebrated their anniversary with a custom ring. We designed this in our shop using an antique diamond, Montana sapphires, and 100% recylced gold. We think it is absolutely lovely.
Of course the concept of a local jeweler, is hardly new. Most small towns and downtowns of major cities have an established jeweler who've been servicing generations of the same family. It's only been in that last couple of decades that the Big Chains and Waljewels, the McJewelers, if you will, really became a force in the jewelry world. The McJewelers have deep stock in items that are manufactured cheaply by the thousands in China. We see a lot of this jewelry walking into our store for repairs every day, and we have to break hearts when we tell our clients' that often it is un-repairable due to the nature of how cheaply it is made. Generally speaking, the cheaper the jewelry the less likely it is that a goldsmith can do even a minor repair. But maybe I'm getting carried away from my point here...
There's a place for the McJewelers... because of them everyone has the opportunity to own diamonds and gold. We're not snobs... we may frequent the farmers market and had a Denver carpenter make a beautiful dresser for us, BUT we've bought furniture from IKEA and eggs from Super Target. So who are we to judge?
We just truly love what we do. We make fine jewelry. We do this not for the sake of calling ourselves "Designers" (we use that term as a describer but don't put much stock in it) but instead for the opportunity to be a part of something and to actually make a living with our hands and skills. It's also what we know, it's what we've been doing for years. Again, just ask Jay what his first job was! We're lucky to have been a part of some of the most important times in our clients' lives; engagements, births, graduations, anniversaries and the like. Jewelry in these cases becomes a part of the family story and history. Celebrating those events with something thoughtful, handmade and quality is a great honor for us, as well as a beautiful way to honor the family event itself. If that means you're shopping "local" then that's just fine, too.
Here's an example of some thoughtful client friends who celebrated their anniversary with a custom ring. We designed this in our shop using an antique diamond, Montana sapphires, and 100% recylced gold. We think it is absolutely lovely.
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