Custom Jewelry & Jewelry Repair

"It takes good hand-eye coordination, and the ability to picture what you want to create in your mind, then be able to produce it."

That's how Russ Peterson, president of Solid Gold Jewelers, describes what it takes to be a good jeweler.

"Most people don't realize how much physical strength it takes to work with jewelry," he explains. "Bright cutting (hand carving the metal and setting the stones in a particular way) takes a lot of physical strength. We're basically doing isometrics quite a bit of the day.
Being able to control the heat when you're soldering with a 6,000 degree torch is also an important part of the craft. If it's a little bit too hot, you could melt someone's ring down pretty easily."

There are four trained, professional jewelers at Solid Gold Jewelers in downtown Normal. Russ, his partner Gerry Taylor, Deb Charlier-Carr and Linda Vance all work on customers rings and jewelry.

"No other store in Bloomington-Normal has the capabilities we have, both with the number of jewelers on staff and the types of skills each jeweler brings to the bench," says Russ.

"And as far as I know, I'm the only jeweler in town that does bright cut work. Lots of people do bead setting, prong setting and pav'e work (placing stones so close together that no metal shows). But when it comes to bright cut work, a particular skill of hand carving metal and setting stones in a particular way is required." Russ was specifically trained to do bright cut at Gem City College in Quincy, IL.

When someone decides they need a true professional to fix a problem with their ring or watch and bring it to Solid Gold Jewelers, they soon discover we know what we're talking about, we're honest and we charge fair prices. So, they often begin making all their purchases here. Like anything else, you tend to go back to the people who treat you well and give you satisfaction. That's why we have four trained jewelers and two trained watchmakers.

Tips for maintaining your rings

"Most rings are worn a lot, and people should have a jeweler (who knows what they're looking for) clean and check their valuable rings at least twice a year to tighten the stones, if necessary, and properly maintain them," Russ explains.

"In addition, the customer has to check their rings periodically themselves. It's like with the oil in your car. You can have the best mechanic in the world, but if you aren't the one who notices that the oil pressure has dropped and takes it to that mechanic, he can't keep your car's engine from burning up. We can't keep you from losing a diamond if you don't bring it in when you notice a problem and let us fix it."

So, if your ring suddenly starts snagging on clothes, if it looks strange, if you notice the stone is loose when you touch it with your finger nail, or if you've banged it against something or bent the ring at all, you could soon be losing the gemstone. To be safe, take it to a professional jeweler, not just a jewelry store to have it examined.