Katherine Huang. Private Jeweler. Personal Jewelry Consultant.

There are generally five steps to the process:

1) The clients I have the pleasure to work with are always referred by existing clients.  When you contact me, please mention the client who is endorsing you.

2) Once we have made introductions, I will send a list of questions that will ascertain whether we would be a good fit. It is with these questions that I am able to ascertain certain specifications, such as the type of piece you wish to acquire, including the budget you have set aside for such a piece and the level of quality that you would require.

3) If we find that we are a good fit, you have the option to retain my services. At the moment, my retainer fee is $1,000. It is a good-faith deposit that allows me to fly stones in from around the world and start design services and research, as well as cost estimates. The retainer is ultimately applied toward the final product.

4) Upon receipt of the retainer, work is immediately started on procuring labor and materials. In most cases, my design services are gratis, as I enjoy this work immensely and am fortunate enough to be able to provide it at no cost to my clients. I will provide updates to you as major milestones in the work are completed. Custom designs generally take on average between two and three weeks.

5) As soon as work is complete, any balances are settled and the piece is hand-delivered or sent via overnight delivery. Please call when you receive your piece, as I look forward to hearing my clients’ reactions when they see the final product in person.

This absolutely stunning picture is courtesy of one of my clients, who in addition to being a very skilled techie also happens to be an accomplished photographer. He took this picture of the finished set together and was kind enough to send it to me when he received the matching wedding ring out in California.

We collaborated on this design and the stone over the course of weeks, making sure even the slightest detail was taken care of – angles at which the sides of the ring would support the stone, the lines of the ring, as well as the size of the side stones being proportionate to the center stone. We even made adjustments to the basket holding the center stone, taking from three different designs in order to get the perfect fit and then casted the basket specifically to fit that stone.

The fortunate woman who sports this ring is beautiful and slender, and so we strove to create something that would show beautifully and be amazing in its presence and quality without overpowering her delicate fingers.

I am particularly proud of this design. It is reminiscent of Tiffany’s Novo design, but markedly improved in design. There is more balance between the stone size and the metal work, and the piece allows the light of the high quality stones to show through without the flash of metal detracting from the overall look.

“Thank you” to Katherine once again for helping me out. She provided a sense of comfort in my engagement ring buying process, which I know I would not get at any jewelry dealers. I greatly appreciate it!

Daniel S. Natick, MA

NOW I can say not only “Wow,”  but actually I am rather speechless.  Tonight I presented  Justine with her gift, which Katherine so skillfully selected and assembled for us.
 
They looked good in the box but their full beauty did not emerge until they were lying on her skin.  The pearls looked lit from within!
 
I cannot thank her enough for the great care she used in choosing these pearls, the beautifully designed packaging in which she presented them to us, the supply of an appraisal, and, best of all, her warmth in communicating with me through this process.

Elizabeth S., Palm Beach, FL

Ahh, June. The month of Father’s Day, high school  graduations, and commencements for universities that use the trimester system. It’s also the month that is proud to offer pearls as its birthstone.

Traditional Heirloom Pearls:

When most people think of pearls, they think of traditional white pearls, small and petite, complete with stud earrings to match oh, say, a pastel colored twinset and pants embroidered with a variety of things on them. (Lobsters, palm trees, puppies.  Ladies, you know what section of Talbots I’m talking about.) You can complete that image with Sunday brunch at nice establishments which may be known internationally, but don’t have names that start with “International House of…”

They also think of their mother or grandmother’s pearls. I’m all for heirloom pieces. In fact, one of the biggest honors of my profession is being entrusted with pieces that have touched many generations and graced many a special event in one’s lifetime. But what if you have in mind something a little…different?

Colors of Pearls:

They come in the white, which we’ve discussed (by the way, the most coveted are pinkish in hue, not the yellow tinged ones you tend to see in the average jewelry section of a department store). But they also come in…

Pink, Red, Burgundy, Sand, Gold, Mustard, Green, Indigo, Lavender, Mauve, Gray, Silver, and Peacock Black, among others. The colored pearls tend to be freshwater in variety, except when they’re…

Tahitians!

I adore Tahitians (the pearls, although I’m sure the people are also very nice). These are large pearls that come in many colors of the rainbow but are most well known for that beautiful platinum color, they are 9 mm in size at minimum and impressive because of their weight, sheer size, and impeccable quality.

So Many Choices…

What to get?

For a high school graduation, a nice option is a simple strand of pearls. I’m a big fan of graduated pearls (no pun intended), but please don’t get pearls that are less than 6 to 6.5mm in size. The idea is to buy for long term, and smaller pearls, although fetching on a teenager, don’t generally serve the wearer for a long time. If have your heart set on giving pearls and are in a specific budget, spend instead on earrings in a larger size and do the strand of matching pearls at a college graduation instead.

For a young woman (24 years and up), it is prudent to acquire something at least 7.5 to 8mm in size. This will serve as a beautiful heirloom piece and give a lifetime of wear. Most of my clients upgrade from their high school/college pearls in their late twenties and early thirties. They usually choose this size, and wear it for a lifetime or at least well into their 40’s.

Of course, the most exceptional are the custom pieces. Torsades (many strands of pearls twisted together to create one thick strand) with specialty clasps, and single strands with custom diamond clasps are well worth the extra effort and make a piece that much more exquisite and special. June’s piece of the month is a platinum pink pearl torsade pearl necklace with a specialty clasp, and can be viewed here: June’s Piece Of The Month.

June’s piece is a platinum pink pearl torsade necklace.

It is rare that I work on a sterling silver piece, but I just fell in love with this specialty clasp. A unique piece, custom created as a present for the mother-of-the-bride to match her gown, this necklace consists of four rows of matching natural freshwater pearls. All are hand-strung and individually knotted, then entwined in a torsade design, finished off with that distinctive S-shaped clasp.