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Gift a custom piece of jewelry while including the recipient in the design process. This is perfect for a thoughtful proposal! You can present the unique jaw-dropping gemstone, then design the engagement ring together.

The details:

The gift certificate is $1,000 and includes a completed custom ring, pendant with chain, or pair of earrings in 18k gold (yellow, rose, or white gold). This will save you hundreds of dollars for a custom piece.

• Gift cards are only available when you purchase select gemstone(s) from Hutcherson Goldsmithing.
• One color of gold only
• Up to 6 grams total weight in 18k (including chain or earring backs if applicable). Option of switch to 14k, up to 7.5 grams
• Additional weight in gold or additional stones will result in additional charges
• Highly intricate designs, including filigree, animal carvings, and detailed/realistic engravings, will result in additional charges
• The gift card is valid through December 31st, 2020
• Our standard custom jewelry policies apply

These are the gemstones we are offering with the gift certificate

Let us know which one speaks to you! Contact us for the stones’ pricing and any other questions.

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Ethical Sourcing

Hutcherson Goldsmithing utilizes sources that are dedicated to ethical practices.  We know most of our sources. We have met most of our diamond and gemstone dealers in person. We can ask them questions about their values and how they are contributing to making conditions better for all of the people in this industry, as well as the environment. 

Recycled Diamonds

Diamonds really do last through generations. Many of the custom jewelry we create for our clients feature family heirloom diamonds to be remounted in a new, unique piece of jewelry. In addition, many of the larger diamonds we use in our own jewelry line are recycled (the smaller diamonds are precision cut of Canadian origin). They have come out of previously worn jewelry and been recut or repolished before we create a one-of-a-kind design around them. If you want to purchase a diamond from us for a custom piece and would like to use a recycled diamond, just ask! We would love to find one for you.

New Diamonds

We can also provide ethically sourced new diamonds for your custom jewelry. We have a few different approaches for new diamonds: 

• Our diamonds are Kimberley Process Certified, ensuring they were not used in funding wars.
• We offer diamonds that can be traced back to their country of origin. Currently, we can offer Canadian diamonds as 100% traceable from mine to cutting to jewelry. 
• We also offer lab-grown diamonds as an option. These have the same physical characteristics; only select gemological laboratories can distinguish between natural and lab-grown diamonds. 
• Using imperfect diamonds utilizes diamonds that have already been mined and cast aside in the past. Luckily, they have been gaining in popularity. Diamonds that were once considered not gem quality are now being polished and loved for their unique character. 
• Giving back: We support Diamond Development Initiative through donation. They are working to improve sustainability for the communities of artisanal miners systemically. 

Recycled Precious Metals

We purchase recycled metals for casting and fabrication of new jewelry. We can also melt down your own gold to create a new piece, increasing the life of your existing materials.

• Giving back: We donate to the Mercury-Free Mining Challenge, which is working on a solution to eliminate mercury from artisanal gold mining. 

Gemstones

We have a select number of gemstone suppliers who are directly connected with small mines and cutting facilities. They can usually tell us the mine from which each gem came. They either cut the gemstones themselves or work directly with their team to ensure that the working environment is safe and fair. 

Community and ENVIRONMENT

We buy from local small businesses as much as possible and support charities that work to improve our communities and the environment. 

• Giving back: We donate jewelry for fundraiser auctions, including for schools and for organizations such as Because People Matter. They are an amazing local organization that provides humanitarian services to those in need. We also recently worked with Elephant Gems to design and create jewelry that was auctioned as a fundraiser for Reteti Elephant Sanctuary

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The three of us all grew up on Kodiak Island in Alaska, and Dustin and Caroline were high school sweethearts. Even in high school, all three of them were always creating something. Dustin was welding sculptural lamps, George was creating animations with CAD, and Caroline was painting flowers. 

Dustin and Caroline took jewelry and metalsmithing classes together in college in Alaska. One of their jewelry teachers claimed that one day they would have a successful jewelry store together, “with Caroline’s designs and Dustin’s technical skills.”

Caroline was already on a path into healthcare and went to physical therapy school in Montana. It was 2008 during the recession, and Dustin struggled to find consistent work, bouncing between jobs in Montana and Alaska. He was doing construction, maintenance, welding and fabrication, and working on snowmobiles. He even got hired at a jewelry store before it closed down. He then discovered a jewelry program a couple hours away from where Caroline was going to school.

Dustin took the opportunity and graduated with a degree in goldsmithing and a certificate in CAD (computer aided design). Already having jewelry experience prior to this program, he excelled and graduated early. His teachers then connected him to a jeweler in Portland who hired him in their fast-paced jewelry repair shop. 

Dustin continued to make jewelry for his friends and family out of his garage. He loved that creating custom jewelry allowed him to utilize a variety of techniques and see a project completed from start to finish. After a couple of years, he decided to start his own jewelry business, initially doing contract work for other local jewelers. Although this kept him busy, he realized that doing work for other jewelers meant he wasn’t seeing a piece from start to finish. Sometimes, he would only do one aspect of the piece, such as creating the design and wax, handing it off to someone else to finish. This would mean that often the finished piece just didn’t come together, as every maker has their own interpretation of what it should look like. Other times he would complete the whole piece but then give it to another store to take all the credit, the customer would have no idea that Dustin actually made the piece. He had a vision of being able to work directly with clients, controlling every step of the process, and ensuring the best outcome and experience for every customer and every piece.  

During this time, Caroline had been working as a physical therapist in Portland. When Dustin’s growing business needed extra help, Caroline jumped at the opportunity to join him. She slowly started decreasing her hours in healthcare as she built a small showroom out of one room in the shop, and began working with custom clients directly to put designs on paper. Her experience working one-on-one with clients proved to be valuable translating their ideas into a finished piece of jewelry. With her help, Dustin was able to decrease the work he was doing for other jewelers, and increase the work done directly with his customers.

Around the same time, George also left his job in construction and moved to Portland. He started apprenticing with Dustin to learn about goldsmithing and jewelry creation. He had already taught himself CAD in high school, and learned how to apply his artistic maker talents to jewelry. His approach to jewelry making is incredibly detail-oriented and technical. This worked well with Dustin’s commitment to exquisite quality, and something we all would be proud to put our name on. 

Now, Dustin has a creative, complementary team to provide a full custom jewelry experience from start to finish exclusively in our Portland studio. The three of us each have different artistic styles, so we create a wide variety of finished jewelry. Dustin’s designs are detailed, vintage-inspired and colorful; Caroline’s designs are clean, modern and low-profile; George’s designs are organic, nature and mythology inspired. This allows most customers to be able to work with us to create their own unique vision, all under one roof.

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We love sapphires for their color. Their natural variations in color, saturation, and diversity in cut make each one unique. If you’re looking for a diamond alternative, sapphires are a great choice! The pictures below are of custom sapphire engagement rings we’ve created recently. 

Sapphires come in all colors of the rainbow. Well, except for red because “red sapphires” are actually rubies. Rubies and sapphires are the same material, corundum. So, in this rainbow sapphire ring, two red stones in the halo are actually rubies.

As an engagement or wedding ring, you will wear your beloved jewel daily and for the rest of your life. Sapphires are one of the hardest gemstones, measuring a 9 on the Mohs hardness scale of 1-10 (a diamond is a 10). This means they’re durable enough to withstand everyday wear and will likely be able to be handed down for generations.

Another reason sapphires are an amazing choice for an engagement ring is that you can often track where they came from. In contrast to the diamond industry, where practices of batching large amounts of rough diamonds before they are sent to be cut make their origin difficult to track. Sapphire mining typically happens on a much smaller scale, so traceability is more realistic. We work with sources who are dedicated to ethical and transparent practices.

We carry select unique sapphires in our Portland shop.  They are ready for your unique ideas for engagement rings! All of the rings pictured above were custom-made and are being loved out in the world. But we do have other finished sapphire rings, both in our brick-and-mortar store and at our online store. 

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Our specialty is custom engagement rings. Which means we work with you to create your unique vision. Your vision might be clearly defined, or you might have some ideas and you need some help forming it into the perfect ring. Sometimes only one partner is creating the ring as a surprise and other times the couple comes in together to design a ring. We can help no matter where you are in that spectrum when looking for an engagement ring. Here are some examples of really unique engagement rings we created that were all designed by one partner as a surprise! These guys really went that extra mile to research and design the perfect rings for their future fiancés.

Our client brought in this unique Australian parti sapphire wanting to make a one-of-a-kind engagement ring to propose to his girlfriend. He came equipped with specific examples and pictures of rings he liked, and was able to explain the elements that drew him in. We worked together to design this unique scroll work ring, set with claw-like prongs to hold the calf-cut sapphire.

This amazing yellow gold ring was created as a re-design of an engagement ring a couple years after the wedding. The original ring was a simple platinum solitaire with the princess cut diamond. As a surprise, the husband contacted us for an upgrade with some personality, featuring a large lapis, the original princess cut diamond, and diamonds all the way around the band. Doesn’t that lapis remind you of a starry night sky?

A simple but unique engagement ring featuring an heirloom round brilliant cut diamond and a new emerald cut diamond. This one was actually inspired by a ring that Dustin made for Caroline. His sister commented on how much she loved it, she mentioned that even though she doesn’t wear a lot of jewelry, she could see herself wearing this one. So when her boyfriend contacted us ready to make an engagement ring, we knew exactly what to do! The round brilliant diamond was one we had in the safe from her beloved grandma, and we found the new emerald cut diamond to complement and balance the asymmetrical design. Thick bezel settings and the bypass full round shank, all in rose gold, keep this ring looking modern, clean, and a little edgy.

The groom-to-be who designed this ring wanted something durable, low-profile and represented the couple’s active outdoor lifestyle. He knew she liked light blue and wanted a swirl pattern for the setting of the ring. They used to live in Montana, so a Montana sapphire was the perfect stone for the job. As we were finishing up the design of the ring, he decided to add the little figure-8 knot as a nod to their rock climbing passion. That extra personal touch is everything in this ring!

Look at this crown ring. Isn’t it amazing!? This ring needs no description. You know that the guy who designed this white gold diamond ring treats his lady like a queen (Disclaimer – this was a thoughtful gift, not an engagement ring).

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The first step was to find a gemstone whose color would match the color of the original synthetic stone in this vintage ring. We also wanted to use a stone that would be easy to maintain and withstand everyday wear. We chose a beautiful oval orange citrine that fit all of those properties.

We then designed a 10k yellow gold signet-style ring based on the original in a slightly heavier setting and slimmed down the shank to make it look better matched to its new increased value. The new ring now had monetary and sentimental values more in line with each other.

We understand that every jewelry piece is more than metal and stones. Each creation has a story, meaning, and emotions attached to it, so every element, from the design to the materials, is important. We are honored every time we are chosen to help create one of your cherished heirlooms.

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This particular diamond cut has recently gained in popularity, but it is actually considered an antique cut. They can be dated back to as early as 1500 and were the original diamond cut before today’s brilliant cuts gained popularity around 1900. We love vintage touches and are excited to design around these old-world-fashioned cuts.

Rose cuts are flat on the bottom and rounded on the top, giving them a lower profile and larger surface area compared to current brilliant cuts. This design tends to fit into the modern lifestyle. It doesn’t have to sit high above your finger and, therefore, won’t catch as easily with simple gestures like putting your hands in your pockets or when putting on gloves. Also, since they are flat on the bottom, you get more diameter per carat to enjoy the diamond’s brilliance!

Our favorite features of rose cuts are their unique grid-like triangular facets and geometric lines. They look great paired with art-deco-inspired designs. Rose cuts make great engagement rings because their triangular facets resemble rose petals (appropriately named). Wearing a rose-cut engagement ring is like having a rose wrapped around your finger.

Rose-cut diamonds also give off a vintage vibe, even in a modern bezel setting. We’ve set many colored and rustic rose-cut diamonds in bezels, which showcase their natural charm and multidimensional qualities. A bezel setting is also ideal if you are looking for a low profile with style.

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Here is an example of a new engagement ring created using existing diamonds from our client’s original platinum cluster diamond engagement ring. Originally, she was referred to us to repair her platinum ring, which had cracked in multiple places. After discussing options for repair, she decided she would rather completely remake the ring to fit it better into her lifestyle and career as a nurse. Not only would she get a cleaner style with a new ring, she would also have a ring less likely to get damaged when working with her hands or catch on gloves or clothing.

We redesigned the platinum engagement ring to create a lower profile and maintain the classic vintage look of her original ring. All of the diamonds in the new ring are her original diamonds, setting the diamonds from around the halo in the band of the new ring.

Here are pictures of her original ring with a wax model of the redesign next to it.  

Here are pictures of the finished platinum redesign. We maintained the vintage classic look with a proper emphasis on the center diamond. Most importantly, it will fit into her lifestyle and job as a nurse.

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Custom Jewelry is jewelry that has been designed and created to your specifications. It is created only for you, rather than mass produced. Here at Hutcherson Goldsmithing, we create your jewelry from scratch, and the design will only be used for your piece.

Why choose custom jewelry?

Jewelry is a form of self-expression. What better way to express your unique sentiment, personality, relationship or memory than to have a quality, lasting, one-of-a-kind piece created for you? When designing a piece for you, we may have several meetings in person, over the phone or emails in order to ensure your vision is created.

You may also have some heirloom jewelry that you don’t wear because it doesn’t fit your personal style. This is a perfect reason to choose customized jewelry. We can help you re-design your jewelry and create something new that you will want to wear, or that you will want to give.

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