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In July of 2006, our industry lost one of its greatest talents. Steven Kretchmer was as much mad scientist as he was artist. He was funny, witty, smart, passionate and just about the biggest mench anyone had ever met in their entire life. Due to the complexity of his work, Steven had a number of patented technologies to his name, and whenever I’d talk to him about his craft, I honestly only understood about a quarter of what he was saying…but his enthusiasm was contagious!

In 1992, Steven presented his line of tension-set jewelry within the New Designer Gallery of the JA Show. He claimed that after he showed–and took home the coveted “Designer of the Year” prize–his phone didn’t stop ringing. His wife Alma had to take complete control of the business aspect of the operation, but remained Steven’s ongoing source of inspiration.

In a quote that encapsulates Steven’s enigmatic brain, he once stated, “We have perfected the technology over the years, working to achieve perfect composition, perfect homogeneity of the alloy and the exact engineering specifications.”

Again, I don’t really know what he was talking about, but it sounds pretty cool. And the jewelry continues to speak for itself!

The JA New York Summer Show is taking place July 23-25th at the Jacob K. Javits Center. Click here to register to attend!