When I got engaged 30 years ago, I wanted my fianc茅e to have a very special ring. And she wanted the same for me, too. So I knew that an artisan like Jack Prentice was the jeweler to go to in my home town. Jack began the creative process by asking Joyce a series of questions. What was she drawn to in nature? Was she inclined to curves or angular lines tiffany? What feeling did she want to create? Joyce said she loves roses. Can you do something by engaging the diamond with a series of roses, maybe a bud to start, the vine itself, and then a full blossom or two? What Jack created in his twodimensional design, he translated into a threedimensional masterpiece.

Jack went through the same process for my custom-designed wedding band. I wanted an engraved ring with something that would show our union. Jack conceived of a stylized J for Joyce and a B for Bill, interconnected with a cross in the middle representing our Christian faith. My wedding ring is beautiful, timeless and intensely personal, a wearable piece of art I enjoy every day.

Since those early years, we’ve had many custom-designed pieces handcrafted by Jack Prentice’s prot茅g茅, and my good friend, Mike Saldivar, of Irvine, California. Mike, like his master craftsman mentor, creates jewelry fit for a king for ordinary people with extraor- dinary taste. My favorite is the custom ring I wear on my right hand with a black onyx cameo of Joyce in her wedding gown, carved by my friends Erwin and Hans Pauly of Idar-Oberstein, Germany. When people see my cameo up close, they never cease to be amazed that it is a portrait of my wife: the only one of its kind in the world! For Joyce’s 40th birthday, I had my children carved in stone and set into a gorgeous custom brooch she wears with great pride.

We tell the stories of these pieces-and praise the jeweler who made them-to everyone we know. They are not only necklaces symbols of our own relationship, they are also symbols of the relationships we have with the custom jewelers who made them.

In times like these, deep lasting relationships with your customers are essential. If you already do custom work, promote it like never before. Position your store as the place to buy fine custom jewelry. People want unique pieces, and special occasions deserve special creations. When you deliver quality and value with that personal touch, it makes all the difference. Give your customers signed sketches and beautiful photos of the pieces you create. Offer them more than a piece of jewelry: Offer them an experience they will never forget. And remember, your satisfied customers are your best salespeople. Make sure their word of mouth advertising works for you. The care and concern you show for them – and for the magnificent jewelry you create with their input-will pay lasting dividends.

If you don’t already do custom work as an independent jeweler, you need to. You need a niche, an angle that differentiates your store from the myriad merchants who stock showcases with the same ordinary products. If you want to take your business to a new level and give your customers something they can’t get at the local mall, then you need to offer custom frank gehry jewelry. This may mean taking a risk, even in uncertain times. For sure it will involve change, something we all fear. But the rewards are endless and timeless – like the fine jewelry you will create – and customers like me will keep coming back for more.