Family Pendants are a really fun and wonderful way to celebrate the children in your life. I recently had a request for a fmily pendant: the mother’s gemstone is an Amethyst, the son’s an Emerald for May, and the 2 daughters’ were born in June. Boy, October was a busy month! And June has 2 birthstones to choose from, Alexandrite and Pearl. So what to do? 
As i placed the gemstones together, I noted that they had a wonderful color palate.
Pearl>Emerald>Amethyst>Alexandrite; a wonderful combination of colors.
Next I was onto a design that will play well with that combination of gemstones, keeping the focus on the colors, and avoid an overly complicated or cluttered presentation. I decided on a ladder of gemstones, set into a flawless line - the resulting  simplicity was just perfect. 
My sincere hope is that every time she wears the pendant, that she will feel the love of her children so close to her heart.

Recently a client wanted to have her 3 Ct Diamond reset. And she definately did not want a cookie cutter mall jewelry store design! She was talking to a friend about what she wanted, who very graciously recommended me for the project. She wanted a new mounting and wanted to showcase her Diamond.
We made an appointment where I shared several designs that feature larger size gemstones. She chose a design that typically features a 2 Ct center stone. So in order to secure her Diamond in that design, I remade the wax model from scratch to meet the specifications of her stone. This meant hours of wax work to create a NEW model with the same look. The depth of the Diamond as well as its circumference required a higher shoulder and a wider ring in order to secure the very expensive diamond.
This process is all part of being a designer but also a Master Jeweler.
When presented with a challenge it is important to take the longer road even when it means reinventing the wheel, so to speak.
The design and final ring turned out brilliantly, and the client was thrilled with the design, both contemporary and classic. Not your overproduced mall version of the same old micropave or halo style.

​​From Concept to Finished Jewelry
Award Winning Jeweler since 1978
Call Michael for Quality Jewelry

Michael often helps his clients with their special jewelry. It might be replacing a chipped diamond, sizing a ring, replacing a gemstone, or remodeling a piece of jewelry that he is asked to complete.  Michael knows that you have a special jewelry that represents alot more than just the gold and gemstones! It about memories and emotions!  He takes special care and pains to make it right again. 
Here is a very kind note that a client sent to Michael after he finished working on a special piece for her:
” Michael- Thank you so much for the beautiful new rendition of my cherished wedding ring- you are truly a craftsman and artist - I love the ‘ Just like new’ appearance and it fits beautifully - again many thanks” 
And thank you Diane it was truly a pleasure. So happy that you are pleased. 

Precious Moments make lasting memories for us. 
And, those special occasions bring us joy, hope and promise.
Whether you are celebrating your betrothal, a precious newborn, a happy anniversay, or major accomplishment, those memories last a lifetime. 
Michael Nutter is very happy to be a small part in your special occasions. 
Creating Fine Jewelry for more than 40 years. Michael Nutter Jeweler. 

Traditionally Diamond centerstones have been the ‘go to’ look for engagement rings. The Diamond, created in nature from carbon has enjoyed a long and much celebrated role in the wedding set. Because the molecular structure of the Diamond is so sound, it wears very well. It is durable, not easily broken, and has beautiful brilliance. And, you have some choices when choosing a brilliant clear centerstone.

Over the last 40 years, technology has advanced and become very sophisticated in the realm of gemology. Engineers with the assistance of computer modeling have been able to perfect the lab grown Diamond. Man made or lab grown Diamonds have been around since the 1940’s. Contemporary programming and machinery have enabled the gemstone industry to produce lab grown diamonds on a commercial scale. Lab grown Diamonds are commercially available and have made inroads into the retail jewelry marketplace.
Lab grown Diamonds share the same attributes as mined Diamonds. However lab grown Diamonds are significantly less expensive than mined Diamonds. Manmade Diamonds offer you a new and competitive choice when choosing  your centerstone.

Moissanite is a great third choice for your centerstone. Having been discovered at the site of a meteorite crash in Arizona more than 100 years ago, this naturally occuring  gemstone is rare. However, Moissanite is also commercially produced and has many of the attributes and characteristics of Diamonds. Over the last 20 years, the science and technological advances in production of Moissanite has made it an incredible competitor for your centerstone.
Moissanite is more affordable than naturally occurring or lab grown Diamonds, are very close to the hardness of the Diamond, and the perfect cut Moissanite is as brilliant as the diamond.The ring pictured above features Moissanite.

When considering the  centerstone for your ring, compare these three options:
a 1 carat Diamond (naturally occuring) at about $7500
a 1 carat Diamond (lab grown) at about $4500
a 1 carat Moissanite (manmade) at about $ 550.
It’s great to have choices!
​February 2021

A young couple recently reached out to ask if I could make a wedding ring for them, using their collection of Family, and Personal jewlery. What a great idea!
Some of the pieces were inherited, while other pieces were gifted to them. 
Even though this is a very exciting project, full of fun and family history, it can be a challenge to knit together a Beautiful project from a collection of Gemstones. 
Sometimes the Gemstones and Diamonds vary significantly in their quality, so that the new piece will not look balanced. 
This particular project is to be a wedding and engagement set. The first step was a thorough cleaning and steaming of all of the gemstone jewelry. After the cleaning was completed, I then graded the quality of all of the diamonds. Many of the pieces were commercial “mall quality” diamonds; one piece with smaller diamonds had top light brown diamonds, which looked good when next to each other, but do not play well next to a bright white diamond. Since we were going to make a pavee band, their juxtaposition would make the color difference obvious to the naked eye. it was a big color difference.
Sorting out the brightest cleanest gemstones and the sizes that could work into a pavee style band takes time and patience. Most of the time comes into matching how well the cuts of the diamonds match. The last thing that you want is to have a beautiful bright field of diamonds only to be interrupted by a flat, dull non reflective diamond. 
The gold however is easy to repurpose. Usually the customer is given a choice of 18 vs 14 K white or yellow gold. The metal is cleaned up , any old solder is removed, and then it is mixed with brand new alloyed metal of the same caratage. 

So all in all, repurposing your jewelry may present a few challenges, but with a patient eye and careful callipers, a beautiful project can come to life. 
It can save you time and money. 
If you have old collectibles that you are not wearing, let’s see what we can do to bring them back to life!

Recently I was contacted by the daughter of a client. Her mom had moved to an assisted living facility, and she needed some help determining the value of her mom's jewelry. 
It turned out to be a very memorable time as we cleaned , polished and checked over her mom's valuable collection. 
I realized that among the collection there were many pieces that I had designed and manufactured. My client and her husband had celebrated their 50+ years of marriage by giving many one of a kind pieces of jewelry. 
Of course the daughter had her favorites, which was fun and touching to learn about. But it was also her task to give family members the jewelry pieces that had meaning for them as well. That was very special to experience. 
It was a memorable afternoon, and a pleasure to return many of the pieces to As New condition. It is wonderful, that the collection will go on being enjoyed by the family, and so with each piece,  will many fabulous memories of both mom and dad. 

Garnet Jemstones come in a variety of colors. The colors are in all shades of the rainbow!
Red / Red Brown: Almandite
Orange: Mandarine
Gold Orange: Hessonite
Orange /Red Orange: Spessartine
Gold: Grassularite
Green: Demantoid
Green: Tsavarite
Purple: Grape
Garnets are silicate minerals. They have been popular since the Bronze Age.  It is relatively touch with a hardness scale at 7 or greater compared to diamonds at 10. 
With all of its color options, and an affordable price, you can afford a nice sized gemstone for whatever project you wish! Rings, Earrings, Pendants!!
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The December birthstone is ZIRCON!
Zircon is a very highly refractive gemstone. It is so brilliant, that it is equivalient to a diamond ! WOW. 
The oldest Zircon dates back to 4 billion years. It’s color can vary, from brown to yellow, from blue to green. Green is the most rare color for Zircon. 
Zircon is not quite as hard as a diamond, with a hardness level of 7.5 compared to the diamond’s 10. 
I have noted that Zircon tends to have an abraded surface over time with normal wear. It can look like the bottom of a coke bottle, kind of sanded in appearance. But there is a way to correct this issue, by repolishing the top of the gemstone.  Repolishing restores the Brilliance and Sparkle to the original state. 
And luckily repolishing a gemstone is not very expensive.
Whether you like earrings, a pendant or a beautiful ring, Zircon will add Sparkle and color to your life . Why not celebrate your birthday with your birth gemstone!

Bracelets are a popular adornment. 
Linked bracelets are a favorite staple in jewelry boxes. Often times, after years of enjoyment, a weak link wears out. When wearing the bracelet, body oils and dirt act as an abrasive, and over time will cut a chanel into the link’s hinge, which can cause it to fail. The Bracelet hopefuly will fall off in your hourse or car, and not in the grocery store!
Most times teh links can be rebuilt. Wen one link fails, the chances are that several links will need to be rebuilt. 
The second issue with links, is the clasp, whether hinged cuff or linked. The tongue can wear, and the closure becomes unsecure. The tongue can be rebuilt with little difficulty. Sometimes it is the box end of the clasp, the part where the tongue inserts into the bracelet. Also, the edges that hold the tongue, can wear down, losing its ability to retain the tongue in a locked position. The box can be rebuilt and returned to returned to a new condition. 
So, wear your bracelets, clean them with your kitchen liquid detergent using a soft brush, then rinse with warm water. And, if you suspect that you have a worn link, take your bracelet to a your local small  jeweler, and not a big box or chain store. Chances are, using your local jeweler for repairs will cost less!
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