Those Insufferable "Creative" Types... sheesh.

During our morning cruise through the blogo-tumblr-webisphere we stumbled on this interesting little tidbit:

http://bodyodd.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/07/21/7114042-creative-types-are-full-of-themselves-study-confirms

To sum it up quickly,  researchers studied random college kids and concluded that people who identify as creative are considered by others as "full of themselves."  Obviously this finding, in the grand scheme of things, means little... not unlike most random silly studies reported via news magazines.  But it does give us the opportunity to reflect on what it means to be creative and to question what kinds of associations people make about creative people working in a creative industry.    

Question #1
Are we blogging this topic to make our creative snobby selves feel better about being so snobby?

oooh that's a tricky one... verrry tricky.

Question #2
Do we consider ourselves creative?

Not really.  But we do have a distinct point of view about jewelry and jewelry design.  Most of the time this point of view drives the entire design process.  During the process of designing a piece of jewelry we use common sense, experience, and innovation. When we are designing for a client, we listen.  We ask a lot of questions and we listen some more.  Then we listen.   When we design for our cases we design what we like and have found that people respond to our taste and point of view.  Every ring we make looks like a J Albrecht Ring.  If a J Albrecht Ring is not for you, well then you're just crazy.  (is this confidence or creative-type-who's-full-of-himself mentality? hmmm.)  All kidding aside, are we "full of ourselves" enough to belive that our design point of view is better than some others?  As a matter of fact, yes.  We do think that hand made, considered, thoughtful fine jewelry in a clean, modern style is better than a lot of what's out there in the world of mass produced, hollow, ultra trendy, celebrity-driven jewelry.   And are there other designers out there doing creative work?  Absolutley, and we're humbled by them.

Question #3
What makes us so confidnet about our work?

We're confident about our work because have the chops to back it up. Insert Kid Rock song here.  Seriously, though, our Goldmsith, Kenny, has 15 years on the bench.  J started in the industry at 18 and went on to mentor Hawk when he was just 18.  And Laina... well, you know... she's super duper creative. 
When we meet with a challenge, we figure it out.  Ask Jay and he'll tell you that good design solves problems.  He may also mention that "it's called work for a reason."  Combine 53 years experience with a workshop full of state-of-the-art technology,  and you've got a shop that can take being labeled "full of themselves" with a grain of salt.

Question  #4
Do we hang out trying to be "Cool Creative Designer People?" 

Nope. We just happen to be a family who's carved out a little corner for ourselves in the world of Custom Jewelry.  We have the extreme pleasure of helping our clients celebrate birthdays, graduations, engagements, promotions, weddings, anniversaries and births.  It's an honor when people ask us to create jewelry to commemorate lost loved ones.   We really just want to work hard, and be kind and honest with people, and raise our kids to do the same.  We've got a feeling that this applies to just about everyone, "creative" or not.

Stacking Set of the Day

Yet another stacking idea... mix it up and have fun!

Pearl Street is in Bloom

Pearl Street is blooming...

We simply could not work in a more beautiful place than Boulder, Colorado.   All around town the trees are flowering and the beds on the mall are blooming with tulips.  Why not make an afternoon of it next time you drop in to have your jewelry serviced? We'd love to recommend our favorite spots for brunch, shopping, and happy hour... just give us a call!

You *need* these earrings.

Just finished... 14k white gold dangle earrings with cabochon cut rutilated quartz and bead set diamonds.

These look amazing with little black dress, jeans & black cashmere sweater, or potato sack. Your call.

Snag them before they end up in Laina's jewelry box.  (shhhhhh...)

$1650

Counting the Moments Bracelet

Just off the jewelers bench...

It was an exciting day when our client came to us with antique watch faces and asked for a bracelet design. Even more exciting though, was when it came off the bench (just in time for Valentines Day) looking absolutely charming.

We've designed heavy, modern, uniform 14k yellow gold links to contrast the delicate age and various shapes of the watch faces.   It was important to us that the piece have a modern romantic feeling, so we've sandblasted the gold and tucked two small diamonds into the clasp for a peekaboo of sparkle.


Hand made & weighing approximately 44grams.

Facebook...

You can now visit J ALBRECHT on facebook! 

McGooglewatches

An incredibly brief history on the wristwatch:

The wristwatch came to be in 1868 when Patek Phillipe designed a ladies bracelet that kept time.  Up until this time the man's pocket watch was considered de rigueur.  It wasn't until 1904 when an aviator asked Louis Cartier to fabricate a watch that would be more useful to him during flight than a traditional pocket watch.   And so the modern day men's wrist watch was made to be a useful tool.  It's no surprise then that they gained popularity during WW1, when enlisted men found them to be much more practical in the trenches than pocket watches. Soon these men were seen in plain clothes sporting their wrist watches and a fashion was born.

Today:

There is a watch for every outfit and day of the year and we're not entirely sure that this is a good thing.  Just cruise Amazon and prepare yourself to be totally to be overwhelmed. Don't want to spend dough on a "designer" watch?  Just buy the knock-off on ebay... or canal street... or a purse party, or get yourself a commercial, well advertised, well known, trendy, fashion watch.  In either case, you'll be buying another one in a year and every year after that.  The movements in this type of watch aren't designed to last.  In fact, they cost about fifty cents to fabricate en masse in China.   We've talked about this before, this culture of disposability we find ourselves in.  While it's great in some instances, we  find ourselves anxious for the trend to wan.  I guess you could say we're weary of seeing watches, something we consider highly personal and rich with history, for sale in gas stations. 

When we moved locations in 2009, we were at a crossroads with watches.  To continue carrying them or not? That was the question.  How did we really feel about the online saturation of the cheaply produced, possibly counterfeit, discounted and un-warrantied Everywatch?  Probably a lot like you feel.  We're indifferent to McGooglewatches. It is what it is and it's not what we do. 

The watch we have to offer is MIDO, a company founded almost a century ago.  They design watches that will last generations with proper upkeep.  MIDO is a quality, warrantied, serviceable, repairable, stylish Swiss-made watch that we offer to our clients with a  promise.  We'll help you find a watch that speaks to who you are as an individual.

Of course your cell phone can tell you what time it is but we believe that your watch is a unique, luxurious adornment that tells something about you when you wear it.