Just Finished.... jewelry for everyday.

This mini collection that we just finished is a mix of pink tourmaline, peridot, green sapphires, and aquamarines in 14k white gold. It's casually whimsical, yet minimalist without being austere. The collection in general reflects our attitude toward the common perception that "real" or "fine" jewelry cannot/should not be worn everyday and that it is reserved for "fancy" occasions.

We believe that fine jewelry can and should be worn all of the time. These pieces will look equally stunning with jeans & a sweater or as a colorful compliment to a Little Black Dress. In fact, we'd go as far to recommend that you only wear fine (gold, white gold, platinum , steel, natural gemstone) jewelry. Simply forgo other disposable jewelry altogether.

That's right. You heard us.

Guess you could say we've got opinions on "throw-away" jewelry. We dislike the general premise of throw-away anything. But we're not idiots, we understand that our culture thrives on disposable goods. We're also not above chucking the occasional pair of brown fake alligator stilettos that we bought on a stupid whim because they were so cheap and then found out they gave us blisters and came apart at the seams and totally not worth the price. ug. Okay, okay... so maybe don't go cold turkey on all your fun fake jewelry purchases. But perhaps you could just consider the following:

Coupla reasons to choose "fine" over "cheap trend" when you're picking jewelry.

1. Simple, classy fine jewelry is a no brainer.

Sure, you invest a little more into your initial purchase... but along with that comes your continual devotion to what you've spent your hard earned money on. Looking back at the past decade of cheap trend jewelry, how much of it do you still love, still wear, or still exists (hasn't been lost, lent or broken.) How about photographs? Embarrassed by that brass feather pendant you're wearing in front of the Christams tree in 1999? Or are you ageless on Easter Sunday in classic diamond stud earrings that you purchased to celebrate your promotion, a timeless yet unique solitaire pendant, and a custom designed ring made from your grandmother's old diamond?


Oh, and save yourself some time in the morning, never think twice about what jewelry you wear with an outfit! Fine jewelry is a classic compliment to everything. Diamond hoop earrings, tank watch and gold key pendant... yep... goes with all outfits.


2. Fine jewelry is customizable and repairable. Your $53 CuteChainStore beaded necklace is super cute and very fun, but it tells a similar story about the other 253,000 people who purchased it online too, and when it breaks... that's it.

When a piece of custom fine jewelry, nestled in it's little box all shiny and new, leaves us and enters the world, with it goes a point of view. A point of view specific to both designer (us) and the new owner (you). It has a past, a present and a future. It holds a place of value in the world because not only is it both beautiful and hand made, it's also purposeful. It holds the promise of being coveted through the generations as well as the assurance that we will help maintain it, inspect it and clean it through the years.

In short, we can pretty much guarantee that the feeling you have while wearing a quality piece of fine jewelry made by hand with love and attention... will be one of genuine pride and adoration. Why wouldn't you want to experience that feeling everyday?

Here's some of the new line.

Go CU

CU Buffs vs. Georgia Bulldogs today.

Sookie shows her Colorado Pride. woof.

Jay takes a Mini Break.

Not exactly known for taking vacations, Jay succumbs to the mighty will of his six year old son and actually enjoys time off in Foggy San Diego. He's back at his desk a mere 72 hours later and working on the latest design projects.

Jessica's Rings/Combo of the Day!

Combination of the day...

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.

Pretty Little Sparkly Bands... stack them high!

STACK EM HIGH............

Yes, it seems we're always encouraging people to stack rings and bracelets... can't help it. These little babies from Jolie Designs look especially beautiful because they are so thin. These pictures don't do the rings justice, but they actually have some serious sparkle and really look luxurious when stacked in groups of three or four. Example: the last grouping of four cost our lovely client (who was wearing them as wedding bands on her right hand) about $5000... and the set had more sparkle and width than a traditional 1 carat solitaire which would typically cost around $7000.

These rings are no brainers in terms of quality, affordability, and versatility... but don't think that they're not equally as stylish & special as they are pragmatic. We can have these made in 18k white or yellow gold, or platinum. This designer makes them to order for us and takes about 4 weeks. The honeycomb ring shown above is one of our favorites.

Here's another that pairs back beautifully to a yellow gold solitaire or as an added pop of color in a stacking set of all white. The rings are all hand made and hand millgrained.

Also consider pairing one of these super sparkly/vintagey bands back to a more clean lined, bold, modern engagement ring is a stunning contrast.

j.ALBRECHT's favorite designer.

We're often asked who our favorite jewelry designers are. If you're familiar with our design aesthetic and love of technology,tradition, and modernism, then it won't come as a surprise to you the designs we covet. German design house Niessing, which has been designing and fabricating jewelry since 1873.

Love these Niessing rings. LOVE them. Hawk loves them so much he's looking for a second job just to fund his Niessing obsession. In fact, we're the only jeweler in Colorado who represents the Niessing line... while we don't stock a ton of their jewelry, we can order anything from them, and love to do so.

It's not hard to recognize Niessing jewelry. Each piece contains a simple idea/basic concept, and what appears to be complex is simple at its core. However, these rings are extemely difficult to manufacture and many of their techniques are proprietary. They have an extensive traditon with precious metals, namely the interplay between expert crafstmanship, contemporary technology and the reconciliation of form and function in harmony with the material used.

To wit: the tension ring

Developed for Niessing by the artist Walter Wittek in 1979, it's been recognized with numerous design awards and on display in such museums as MoMA in NYC. The "floating" diamond, securely held by the tension of the forged precious metal, is an icon of modern jewelry culture.