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.

Stacking Bangles

Here's a set of 14k bangles we did for a client in South Carolina , using her smokey quartz and aquamarine. These two bracelets go back to another bangle of the same size and scale we designed with three bezel-set diamonds. We were going for a look that was fun and funky but not over-the-top. Designing a set of bangles can be tricky, as bracelets typically weigh a fair amount and thus get more expensive. Generally speaking, we like thinner bangles that make stacking several a bit more elegant and affordable.

Locally Made Damascus Steel Rings

Our locally produced damascus steel ring is done, this is our first official model! The rings are 7.5mm wide, come with a flat and a round profile............ estimated delivery time is 3 weeks to 4 weeks. The damascus steel rods are imported from Europe and all fabrication and labor is done locally here in Boulder, currently there are very few domestic damascus ring producers, so we are proud to offer this unique ring. The rings have a beautiful, subtle, fingerprint-like texture. The pattern of each ring varies, making each ring one of a kind. We make them to order in your size. $599