In today’s world, some things change rapidly and some stay the same. Just in the last 20 years or so, jewelry making has changed radically. Previously we used labor intensive processes like carving wax models by hand to create our original designs and master models. We now use technological marvels like computer aided design and modeling (CAD/CAM) and […]
We just completed the most unusual wedding ring we’ve ever done- a Secret Decoder Ring, crafted of 14K white and rose gold and set with diamonds. Greg, one of Jenny’s best friends, an entertainment industry buff, had taken his fiancé Rebecca to a performance of “The Thrilling Adventure Hour”. Greg and Rebecca had such a great time, the […]
We’ve always loved the ultra rare variety of fancy sapphire known as the Padparadscha. Early in my career, working in the gem indentification labs of GIA, I had the opportunity to see a few good examples of the natural Padparadscha Sapphire and to learn the subtle distinctions that make this gem so desirable. Our informational blogs about […]
We just delivered this lovely pendant, set with the diamonds from several treasured family pieces, to a very happy client. Her son had us make the pendant to celebrate her 50th wedding anniversary, so it was a very nice occasion to deliver the new piece– both son and mother loved the new piece and she left […]
Jewelry making is an ancient craft dating to the dawn of civilization. Prior to the mid 1800’s and the Industrial Revolution, fine jewelry of precious metals and gems was made mainly for royalty and the very rich. Today, through advances in technology, almost anyone looking for a quality piece of jewelry can afford one-of-a-kind custom […]
The latest addition to our Famous Raincross Collection of fine jewelry is simply stunning! We think our fine silver pendant wonderfully captures the unique style and bright colors of the orange crate art from the heyday of California citrus.
I just completed 3 days of intensive training with our newest CAD software, 3Design by VisionNumeric. Jenny was able to train on 3Design in March, and she’s been able to produce some wonderful pieces with the new software. I had a medical issue and couldn’t take the training until now, so my skills will come […]
Daughter Jenny Sweaney and I are attending a 2 day ArtCam User Group session in Las Vegas. We will be getting the latest info on our CAD technology– ArtCam released the 2010 version of JewelSmith in August, so we’ll get a chance to discuss the new features and troubleshoot with crack DelCam staff– DelCam is […]
For a very special gift for Father’s Day or perhaps an anniversary, consider this striking one-of-a-kind man’s ring, set with a gorgeous gold in quartz gemstone from the Eldorado Mine in Gympie, Queensland, Australia. You can easily see the dramatic eruption of pure gold in the white quartz matrix– simply stunning! I picked this gem […]
Last Fall, we were contacted by a long time customer whose daughter had a real problem. Her daughter, Kirstyn, was engaged to be married September 2010. Kirstyn and fiance Alastair, a British citizen, were working in the Cayman Islands where they had a local jeweler make a custom engagement ring using her one carat family […]
