When he was pursuing an engineering degree in college in the 1990s, Armen Manukyan started experimenting with metal smithing and soon began creating jewelry designs.
“I liked to make stuff and started doing jewelry making while I was in college. Since my graduation I have never worked in my specialty because I found jewelry-making to be more stylish and interesting. My passion became my career."
A native of Armenia, he moved to the United States in 2000, and worked for a local jewelry company. At the same time, Armen started his own business, making and selling jewelry from a small home-based studio.
In 2009 he struck out on his own and opened a retail store in West Hartford, Armeny Custom Jewelry Design, at 995B Farmington Ave. The store will celebrate its 14th anniversary this September.
A master craftsman, Armen works with a wide variety of precious and semiprecious gems, as well as with fine metals including gold, platinum and sterling silver.
“We are a full-service retail jewelry location that specializes in custom designs, jewelry repairs and remodeling existing heritage or estate jewelry to give such pieces a more modern flare or aesthetic. In addition, we can do watch repairs and appraisals. We really cover it all!"
Our retail store is a place where all custom designs, jewelry repairs and remodeling are done on the spot. We are pioneers in the use of computer aided design (CAD), which allows us to create jewelry precisely to every customer's needs. CAD gives us the ability to show our customers what their jewelry will look like when it's complete, through image rendering before the jewelry is fabricated. The collaborative process helps customers visualize their special jewelry pieces and make changes during the process.
While custom-designed diamond engagement rings and wedding bands are a popular product at his shop, Armen works with unique gemstones that the “majority of people don’t even know exist.”
Some of the precious and semi-precious gemstones he works with are colored garnets, labradorite, larimar, amber, tourmaline, emeralds, turquoise, spinel, meteorite and pearls.
“Everything we have here is different and unique and we have a large variety of pearls. We have a beautiful selection of pearls in which each and every pearl is unique.”
The store features a wide selection of different types of jewelry, including earrings, bracelets, necklaces, watches and even luxury reading eyewear frames.
Owning a piece of custom-made jewelry, Armen says, is a unique and affordable experience most can enjoy.
“When you buy from me there’s a special satisfaction in knowing you’re wearing the finest jewelry, affordably priced and masterfully created to bring you years of joy.”
Armeny Custom Jewelry Design
995B Farmington Ave.
Phone: 860-232-3200
Online: Armeny.com
On Facebook: @ArmenyCustom