Custom Design

At Jonathan’s you will find a variety of custom jewelry available for sale, something that we do every day.  We take pride in presenting you with jewelry that you won’t find anywhere else.  We have new, bright and clean ideas of creation with bold, breathtaking and unique designs.  These are strong claims but we stand behind them.  Our chief designer, Thomas Buonomo, has won local design competitions and is self-taught.  He has the capability to capture a client’s ideas and render beautiful drawings either in black and white or color.  Jonathan has also been designing one of a kind pieces for 30 years.

The process is a fun experience, from the conception of an idea, to the basic drawings, to the wax model carving then it’s on to the casting phase.  The customer is involved along the way, making changes to drawings or to the wax model if necessary.  Once the wax has been approved it is then cast into the metal of choice, gemstones are set, the piece is polished and cleaned, an appraisal is done and it is then presented to the happy customer.  All this service is applied with great attention to detail.  The customer’s taste, life style and budget take priority in the process.  We look forward to the opportunity to show you our design capabilities. 

Should you want to create a custom piece as a gift but time is of the essence, we can supply a highly detailed color rendering of the piece to present in lieu of the actual piece.  If a gemstone is to take center stage in the piece, it can be presented to the recipient in a nice presentation box along with the rendering.

The attention to detail and level of artistry here is where we at Jonathan’s set ourselves apart from the competition.  We have been custom jewelry makers at this location for 12 years and with the combined experience of Jonathan and Thomas, it’s 50 years of designing jewelry.  Our expertise in understanding proportion, balance, symmetry and structural integrity is unmatched.

Artistic Periods of Jewelry

In addition to today’s contemporary looks, we appreciate the classic styles that remind us of a time when most jewelry was made by hand, allowing for a great creative flair.  Below is a brief description of some key time periods for specific styles and design. Many of our custom jewelry pieces fall into these categories.

1830 to 1920- Victorian

Victorian designers often used platinum with a lacy or delicate feel of sophistication and elegance. Many designs used lots of small diamonds in particular pattern to achieve the desired design. Due to the use of platinum, many of these fine pieces still exist today. Cameos and silhouettes were also popular during this period.

 1880-1930- Art Nouveau

This design finds its roots with organic impressions. Flowers, long curling leaves and flying insects were often the center of the design. The choice of stone is often opal, pearl, and moonstone.  Colored stones took precedence in this period. Rene’ Lalique-   was the most recognized and most successful designer of this period. Art Nouveau is somewhat mystical, surreal, or dreamlike. The design is easy to take in, smooth and flowing.

 1910-1940- Art Deco

The deco period is “The Roaring 20’s” bigger, bolder ideas. The industrial revolution is funding jewelry designs worldwide. The design can often have sharply contrasting colors of material.  Platinum, onyx and diamond for example. The style features multiple lines and/or curves of varied thickness and lengths. The term “Tennis Bracelet” was born in this time. Women would boast the latest gifts of their man, while watching the men play tennis at the club. The women compared hardware or their “Tennis Bracelets. “Oh that is nothing darling, just a little bobble for the club.” The period was bold-look at me-we’ve arrived, new money and we’re enjoying the life of the roaring 20’s.  A perfect example of art deco design is the Chrysler building in New York City.

 1940-1960- Retro Art

The war and its impact cut down on bold Victorian and Deco emotion. The feel was bold lines but less gem stone. Industrial influenced, the feel is that of a 57 Chevy angular-bold, stylish, pink, gold, ruby, and semi-precious gems.  Pieces featured floral sprays with wide curving, nice lines with gold accents.  Nice lines and fun to look at.  The look was optimistic – the war was over and things were looking up.

 1960-1990 Modern

 1990-2010  Contemporary