The man. The myth. The jeweler.
How does one even describe Randy? Expert stone setter. Artisan wax carver. Renowned squirrel hunter. His work in the shop may make him seem covert and mysterious, but anyone who has met him knows he’s just a big ol’ talkative teddy bear.
Randy has been a bench jeweler at HPerry Jewelers since 2002, and has 24 total years of industry experience. Our hperrys.com content management team (aka Jordan) sat down with Randy today to ask him all the questions we’re dying to know about his experiences as a goldsmith.
Jordan: Randy, thank you for joining us today! We understand you’ve been working on jewelry since basically dinosaur times, so why don’t you tell our readers a little bit more detail about what you do?
Randy: I have fun!
Jordan: Hahaha, and….?
Randy: I repair jewelry, I facilitate the creation of custom pieces. 90% of the work I do is repair work, but I also do CAD and wax carving, casting, and stone-setting for custom jewelry. I think I’m the only person here who does every step from beginning to end, which I think is kinda cool.
Jordan: What made you want to get into the jewelry business? And more importantly, what has kept you in the industry for so long?
Randy: What got me into the business was an accident. My first job in jewelry was actually polishing rings, but when I heard of the job opening, I thought it was for polishing O-rings for motor engines. I was obviously surprised when I showed up for work. I’ve never thought about what kept me in the industry…I guess because the industry is always fluctuating and always changing, there’s always something new to learn.
Jordan: Tell us two favorites! What is your favorite thing to do at the bench? And what is your favorite gemstone?
Randy: My favorite thing about my job is the feeling of accomplishment after creating a custom piece from start to end and seeing the happiness it brings to the customer. I don’t have a favorite gemstone because every stone is unique in color and cut.
Jordan: What do you like to do when you’re not working on treasured heirlooms and fashioning one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry?
Randy: Spending time with my lovely wife, and traveling and making new friends.
Jordan: Tell us about your favorite custom piece you’ve ever made.
Randy: They’re all my babies! I have to say I honestly don’t have one. The ones I feel most accomplished with are the ones no one realizes the difficulty of, unless they work on the bench of course. I guess I could say that my favorites are the most challenging pieces.
Jordan: And finally, as a seasoned professional, what advice do you have for young couples looking for the perfect engagement ring?
Randy: My advice for picking out the perfect engagement ring would be to pick it out as a couple. Find something that you’ll both find the beauty of, because this is for both of you and your years of togetherness.
We may give Randy a hard time sometimes (ok…a lot of times!) but at the end of the day every single one of us at HPerry Jewelers feels blessed to work with him. Randy makes us laugh, teaches us about jewelry, and inspires us with wild stories of cave rescue and squirrel hunting. Come see him for yourself! Let him create a custom piece just for you.
Written by…
Jordan Rayne
GIA Diamonds Graduate, GIA AJP
Designer and Consultant for HPerry Jewelers since 2013