March 26, 2011

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


March 08, 2011

Behind the Scenes: Cast to Finish

Take a look at the rough cast in this yellow gold ring, compare it to the finished piece and you get a little  taste of the labor involved in making fine jewelry.



February 12, 2011

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.


February 09, 2011

February 08, 2011

A timeless ring...

We delivered this stunning ring to our tearfully delighted client Erin, just in time for Christmas. We're just posting the photos now after spending the last month reflecting on the many designs we delivered during the  holidays.

We've thought of this ring everyday since it left our shop.  It's truly an honor and a privilege to work with such beautiful, well cut stones.  For lack of a more subtle metaphor, it's kind of like a chef who is given a gorgeous cut of aged, grass fed, perfectly marbled beef and a basket of vine ripened, organic heirloom tomatoes.  Why fuss up high quality ingredients?  A good chef knows to use proper technique and knowledge of flavors to create a simple, expertly seasoned dish where the ingredients are allowed to shine and not be covered by thick sauces or unnecessary garnishes.   

And that's what we've done here.  This is a 2 carat, emerald cut sapphire.  We've accented the sapphire with 2, half carat emerald cut diamonds and then designed a simple, heavy (not hollow) platinum setting to showcase the stones.  We feel this is an example of  classic, quality, sturdy, timeless fine jewelry.  

We love to play, experiment and design unusual, unique jewelry... but quality materials, traditional workmanship, and perfect technique is the foundation for everything we do.      





January 24, 2011

Ever Wonder?

Ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes at your favorite jewelry shop?  Well, here's what 8:30 Monday morning looks like at J Albrecht...

January 15, 2011

New Floors

Happy New Year, Everyone!  Thank you to all of our friends for a fun and busy Holiday Season!  We were able to take a few days off between Christmas and New Year, and despite the fact we wanted to take that time to lay around in our pajamas and eat leftover cookies, we instead took the opportunity to install new floors into the shop! We opted for cork... nice warm color, durable and eco friendly.  Here's a picture:


Pretty, no?  Cheers to 2011!