Our Story - Hutcherson Goldsmithing

Hutcherson Goldsmithing is a family-run custom jewelry studio in Portland, Oregon.

Founded in 2013 by Dustin Hutcherson, the business has grown to include Dustin’s wife, Caroline, and brother-in-law, George Barnes.

The Beginning: From Kodiak Island to Jewelry Making

All three grew up on Kodiak Island in Alaska, where Dustin and Caroline were high school sweethearts. Even in high school, they were always creating something. Dustin was welding sculptural lamps, George created CAD animations, and Caroline painted flowers.

Dustin and Caroline took jewelry and metalsmithing classes together in college in Alaska. One of their jewelry teachers predicted 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, and during the recession, Dustin struggled to find consistent work, bouncing between jobs in Montana and Alaska. He did construction, maintenance, welding, fabrication, and snowmobile repair. He even got hired at a jewelry store before it closed down. He then discovered a jewelry program two hours away from Caroline’s school.

Journey to Goldsmithing in Portland

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

Dustin loved that creating custom jewelry allowed him to use a variety of techniques and see a project through from start to finish. After a few years, he started his own jewelry business in Portland, initially doing contract work for other local jewelers. Although this kept him busy, he realized that working for other jewelers meant he rarely saw a piece from start to finish. Sometimes he would handle only one step, such as creating the design and wax, then hand it off to someone else to finish. The finished piece often didn’t come together, since every maker has their own interpretation of what it should look like, and the whole process was far removed from the client. He envisioned working directly with clients, offering every step of the custom jewelry process in-house, and ensuring the best outcome and experience for every customer and every piece.

Building a Custom Jewelry Studio Together

During this time, Caroline worked as a physical therapist. When Dustin’s growing business needed extra help, Caroline jumped in to join him. She gradually reduced her hours in healthcare as she built a small showroom out of one room in the shop and began working directly with custom jewelry clients to put their designs on paper. Her experience working one-on-one with patients proved valuable in translating clients’ ideas into finished pieces of jewelry. With her help, Dustin could reduce his work for other jewelers and focus on working directly with his own customers.

Around the same time, George left his construction job and moved to Portland. He began apprenticing with Dustin to learn goldsmithing and jewelry making. Having taught himself CAD in high school, he applied his artistic, maker talents to jewelry design. His approach to jewelry making is incredibly detail-oriented and technical, which pairs well with Dustin’s commitment to exquisite quality.

Hutcherson Goldsmithing Today

Hutcherson Goldsmithing now has a creative, complementary team that provides a complete custom jewelry experience from start to finish exclusively in our Portland, Oregon studio.