Treasure Hunt

But Loren wanted to be in control of his own destiny, and, influenced by designers such as Rene Lalique (jewelry designer long before he moved to glass) and the Art Deco period, he fulfilled his dreams. I can barely control my dog, so seeing that someone controlled his destiny was, indeed, inspiring.

Also inspiring is Loren’s incorporation of ancient relics in his jewelry. And we’re not talking about your crazy great-aunt Edith’s Victorian hair work brooch, either. Roman, Egyptian and Viking artifacts are surrounded by platinum and gold and accented with precious stones, and the results are stunning.

When asked about the future of custom jewelry, Loren turned to that all-important demographic: the baby boomers. The boomers are coming into their own, but their parents are passing away. While the boomers’ grandparents might have had only one or two heirlooms to pass down, their parents likely accumulated larger collections, and the boomers want those pieces refashioned.

Like the other jewelers I spoke with, Loren cited trust and communication as the main ingredients that ensure a satisfactory experience. And, boy, has he had some interesting communications! One of his more unusual requests came from a woman bearing a box and an appeal that he fashion the contents into a bracelet. In the box was something Loren couldn’t identify on sight, but that looked suspiciously like year-old bacon.

It wasn’t. In the spirit of motherly love, the woman had brought in her daughter’s umbilical cord. Precious cargo, certainly, but Loren declined the commission, and I was left wondering where, exactly, one wears an umbilical cord? A Mother’s Day luncheon, perhaps? Is it even appropriate for daytime? Or does one save it for special occasions? Could I get a Miss Manners ruling on this, please?

Another time a woman brought her mother in to commission something a little more heart-wrenching. The mother’s hands shook as she pulled a box from her purse and removed what appeared to be a very old button. As a child in Poland during World War II, she and her own mother had been transported by train to concentration camps. While being separated she clung to her mother, then just had her by the coat, and then the only thing left in her hands was one of the coat’s buttons. Loren crafted a support of platinum and diamonds for that very special piece.

Listening to clients’ stories and extrapolating their needs are obviously a source of joy for Loren, but when I press him for a more technical favorite part of the process, he confesses that setting large stones gives him a particular thrill.

"It’s a feel," he says reverently, closing his eyes briefly as though envisioning nestling a 10-ct. emerald into its setting. It’s the way I imagine I look when I daydream about making The New York Times bestseller list.Of course what we all really want to know is, just how much are we going to pay for a fabulous custom piece? Like so many questions in life, the answer is a maddening, "it depends." Loren has done pieces for as little as $300 for an imprint of a child’s thumbprint in a gold pendant, to more than $3 million for a ring with a 4-ct., fancy, intense, pink diamond.

Availability and value of the materials as well as the time and complexity involved in the design and labor will all factor into price, but expect to leave a deposit once a design is agreed upon.
We’ve come a long way from those mollusks in the cave and the Froot Loops on red yarn. As civilized adults, custom jewelry says as much about the wearer as it does about the artist who designed it, and it is truly a special person who is willing to wear her soul for all to see. Go. Make your statement.

If this article influenced you to have a custom piece made, Kristy wants to know and wants to see! Send a jpeg to kristykiernan@netzero.com along with information on the designer.