Beautiful Jewels

Oct. 9, 2014

Are diamonds truly a girl’s best friend?

Well, that depends on the girl. Some ladies love this most coveted of gemstones in any form; just ask legendary actress Elizabeth Taylor, Napoleon’s Josephine or Marilyn Monroe’s character, Lorelei, from "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes."

For others, it’s all about the vintage–of the jewelry, that is. Retro gems and pieces handed down through generations, or found at estate sales, are their top jewelry picks, including well-crafted reproductions.

Other jewelry fans demand pieces as unique as they are. That’s where customcrafted jewelry shines.

Here are a few Traverse City jewelers working to fulfill all of these distinct jewelry needs, and more.

Utilizing a combination of 30 years’ experience and training, owner and jewelry designer Edward Freund’s process also begins with meeting the customer, either to incorporate old jewelry or to make something entirely new.

"If I can, I always make use of what they already have," Freund said. "Sometimes I rework the parts into a new design, which maintains the story of the jewelry."

For a recent piece, Freund took a man’s dad’s ring, his mother’s white gold band and his grandmother’s platinum and diamond ring, and combined all three into a new dad’s ring that can be passed down through generations.

"Every project involves multiple steps," Freund said, "drawing, creating a wax model casting, finishing, stone-setting. Sometimes you’re setting stones for many hours or you could spend a whole day taking your time to mount a diamond just right. Patience is the rule."

Whether using precious gemstones, gold, or more rustic materials like copper or Petoskey Stones, Freund’s focus is individuality.

"I’m not really a "˜bling’ jeweler," he added. "I think jewelry is many things to many people and my customers are all one-of-akind individuals, so I customize jewelry for their particular personalities."

Diamonds abound at jewelry stores across northern Michigan, but only Miner’s North has The Lakeshore Diamond, a gem cut in India by a master diamond cutter specifically for them.

"The name comes from, and is inspired by, our love for northern Michigan and the lakes," said Jeff Guntzviller, Miner’s North general manager.

"When you are on the water and you see all of the spectral colors shining from where the sun hits the water, that is what we see when we look at The Lakeshore Diamond."

Guntzviller explained that most round brilliant diamonds have 58 facets. The Lakeshore Diamond has 90. This gives it an unusual depth and brilliance, with each surface reflecting more light than a typical round-cut diamond. It’s perfect for the lady looking to reflect a little movie star glamour with extra glitter, whether on a ring, pendant, or earrings.

"We have seen other diamonds with extra facets," Guntzviller said, "but in our eyes, nothing compares to The Lakeshore Diamond."

At Old Way Heirloom Design, the process begins when a customer’s consultation with long-time jeweler and owner Ken Olsen results in a design choice.

"A model that will be used in creating the jewelry is then produced by hand," Olsen explained. "When the wax is approved, then the casting of the piece is the next step. Then, the rest of the hand work begins."

Since these jewelry pieces are often cast in a more basic form–without the engraving, piercing, or inlay work–they truly become one-of-a-kind as the process unfolds in more and more detail.

"I also do some vintage reproduction work using designs purchased from a prior jewelry store where I was a business partner for 25 years," Olsen said. "It was there that I gained an appreciation for the intricate elements of bright and bead setting (cutting "˜seats’ to hold gemstones), hand engraving and piercing."

Olsen seldom produces a piece of jewelry with prongs holding the gems in place unless it’s the customer’s request. Instead, he prefers the old style of gemcraft.

"It’s the actual hand work that makes each piece so unique," he said.