For Ketterman’s Jewelers, that rarest of family-owned businesses where family still works and thrives, joy is all about family, and jewelry represents the love that endures within its circle of light. A sketch of Dan and Tammi Ketterman’s wedding photograph from May, 1981, surrounded by more sketches of their children, form a watchful centerpiece over the engagement ring salon in the newly renovated store. It bears the motto, “It all started with a diamond.”
Katelyn Ketterman Cockerill, Katie, says, “My mom has just started to collect photos of her grandkids,” so look for the sketches eventually to ring the back wall. Customers try to place the children’s faces with their grown-up counterparts. It's tough because everyone who works at Ketterman's feels and is treated like family. “We’re like brothers and sisters sometimes. It’s just an atmosphere that’s a bit different from the corporate world.”
It’s within this embrace that Katie enjoys working with a team that crafts custom jewelry. We would say “designers,” but that’s not really what customization means to them. “Mostly what we do here is take customers’ pieces and redesign them into something that they’ll enjoy. They may inherit something from a family member with sentimental attachment, but they don’t love what it looks like. Based on what it is and what it’s made of, we try to turn it into something they’ll wear and enjoy for another generation.”
- Scenario one: A young woman comes in with a marquis-cut diamond ring from the sixties and wants something less dated. “Depending on the age or wear of the item we might just take the center stone or the whole piece and turn it into a necklace.”
- Scenario two: A woman whose husband has died wants to integrate his band into hers. “If she’s ready not to wear it as a ring anymore, we might put her ring inside of his and she might wear it as a pendant. Then she can then still have it close to her,” Katie explains.
Because she has reworked so many engagement rings (including her own), Katie encourages young men who are buying one to “invest in the diamond because that’s the part that’s going to last. That’s what is supposed to represent forever, and it can hold up to generations of enjoyment.”
The store has held design competitions among its jewelers with the winner being able to select a charity of his own choosing for a donation. They've even produced outsiders' designs j for charity, like the bracelet bearing the inscription "91>19" (Psalm 91 is greater than COVID-19) for http://jewelersforchildren.org. Such projects are fun, Katie says, but it’s more often the case that Katie’s years of experience and craftsmanship forge a collaboration with a customer’s idea of what a particular piece could become. “If I were to design something personally, it would be very symmetrical, every piece in line. When I’m asked by customers to do something more freestyle and creative, we have to step into their mindset.”
That’s not to say they can’t “break the mold” so to speak. One jewelers’ bench boasts a CAD/CAM machine with jeweler’s software that can create a 3-D printing of each custom piece and the wax mold that will be used in creating it. If someone wants an original ring, for example, they can then try it on and refine design elements that might have seemed like a good idea but prove unwearable in practice.
The technology carries with it a price; but for a special occasion or to bring out the beauty of particular gemstones, seeing your vision become reality can be worth it.
The design team takes each customer through every phase of the creative process, but at the end of the day, “we ask them to trust us a little bit.... Our heart is that we want them to love what’s on their finger, what’s on their neck, on their wrist. If they aren’t thrilled with it, we’ll keep going until they’re happy.”
Jewelry Care Tips
Take it Off. The gym isn't the place to show off your bling. Lifting or gripping tightly can bend your rings and bracelets and necklaces can catch and break on equipment. Don't expose your jewelry to stresses of cleaning, chlorine or heavy lifting. Chemicals in cleaning products and in pools or spas can permanently damage gold. Chemical damage also leaves mountings susceptible to breaking down and putting your gems at risk.
Choose wisely. Select jewelry that suits your lifestyle and your needs. Consider the level of wear you intend for your pieces and work with a jeweler to meet those needs. Smaller diamonds have smaller prongs and require more upkeep. Certain gems are more delicate and require special care. Fashion jewelry made of non-precious metal is made to last a fashion season, not a lifetime.
Insure it. Wear it. Enjoy it. Gems don't sparkle in the dark, so let them out of the jewelry box often -- don't wait for a special occasion. If you have items you don't wear, talk to your jeweler about having them reworked or redesigned into something you will enjoy.
Build a relationship with your jeweler. Have your jewelry professionally cleaned and checked at least every six months, or more frequently depending on your personal level of wear. After cleaning, the jeweler should check the mounting under magnification for any potential issues including loose gems and worn or damaged areas.
