Grant Orris and his wife Carol have seen many changes in the
jewelry industry throughout their decades of experience, but the
gift of jewelry will always remain an expression of love and
commitment.
“A lot has changed over the years,” Grant Orris said. “There
used to be quite a few jewelers in town when I first took over the
business from my father 32 years ago, but one by one they’ve all
left.”
He says he is the only person left in the area that does
benchwork, the art of repairing fine jewelry, so he has got into
the practice of taking on just about all of the local jewelry
repair needs.
“With so many repairs coming in, about 100 for every one request
for a customized piece, there just aren’t enough hours in the day
for me to do the designing like I once did,” he explained.
New technology has revolutionized the industry, with “Cad Cam”
machines and computer programs that are able to carve the waxes
used in casting process of shaping precious metals into jewelry
pieces with much more intricacy and detail than even the most
talented human customizer, according to Orris.
Handcarving is still widely practiced, but when customization
requests come in, Orris says he often has to send the pieces out to
specialists with whom the couple has developed excellent working
relationships and whose expertise they trust.
“There is still a lot done the old fashion way, but Cad Cam
expands what we’re able to do as far as detail-oriented pieces,”
Orris said.
Some interesting customization requests in recent years have
been based on costume jewelry that individuals love so much they
wish to have it in fine jewelry, Orris says.
“One guy even brought in a key chain that had a particular
off-center heart design that was special to he and his girlfriend.
With the use of the Cad Cam, we were able to reproduce the
overlapping hearts and place them on either side of a heart-shaped
diamond for a ring,” Orris explained.
Another occurrence at the shop that’s becoming increasingly more
common, is the bringing in of heirloom pieces from family members
to be transformed.
“Pieces that are passed down but can’t be worn — perhaps a
grandfather’s ring — we can use the same gold that the relative had
worn for so long and turn it into something that the new owner
desires while retaining what makes it special,” said Orris.
“Many customers like to tell us about how they proposed with our
pieces, and a lot guys really put a lot of thought and care into
how they do it,” Carol Orris said. “We really enjoy hearing all the
outrageous, different and creative stories they come in with.”
Though the Orris’ did not want to divulge too much about their
customers’ personal moments, one story that Carol Orris felt
comfortable disclosing involved a proposal that happened right in
their store.
She says she was confused that he had brought the girl into the
shop, as he had already picked out a ring earlier. “He surprised
her by dropping down on one knee right here in front of our diamond
case and proposed,” said Carol Orris, “she accepted.”
Some people use a distraction or something to lead the girl off
the trail. “Just this week, a guy said he was going to put the ring
in a big television box so the girl he was proposing to would have
to go digging for it,” said Grant Orris. “A lot of people fill
boxes with weight or box after box after box,” he added.
“One woman had teased her husband telling him that he’d better
get her a big rock when he proposed, so he got one — out of a
quarry — an actual huge piece of gravel and had us wrap it in a
wiring to secure it and he presented it to her in front of her
whole family,” Carol Orris recalled, “then he gave her the diamond
ring she wanted.”
Counter to what many might think, Grant Orris says that “there
are not a lot of proposals done around Valentine’s Day. Christmas
still seems to be more that kind of time. Valentine’s Day is more
on the romantic end with people getting gift items.”
According to the Orris’, there has been a shift away from the
round diamond solitaire setting that was the biggest seller of
engagement rings in the 70’s and 80’s which would then be coupled
with a companion wrap-around wedding ring. “Now the big thing is
Micro-Pave, where very small diamonds surround a larger stone and
are held very close together by shared prongs that can barely be
seen.”
The Orris’ indicated that a new trend that has emerged over the
past five to 10 years is symbolic pieces. “Everyone has seen the
journey pendent necklaces that represent the journey of life a
couple takes together,” said Carol Orris, “and the circle of life
pieces, key to my heart, key pendants, infinity pendants, and
knots” which represent the intertwining of two lives or the
strength with which a couple is bound to one another.
“Hearts will always be a consistent symbol of love that women
gravitate to. It’s a feminine symbol that always means ‘I love you’
and is sentimental,” Carol Orris said. “Some things like that just
never change.”
