Monday, January 28, 2008

Arlington based jewelers, Martin | Greve Designs, use high quality gems, beads and metals in their work

By Minnie Payne

Multi-colored beryls with facet aquamarine and sterling. (Pegasus Collection)

ARLINGTON — Anyone interested in jewelry or jewelry making would be enthralled if they could see the work of 54-year-old jewelry designer/maker Nancy Martin and her partner, 44-year-old jewelry consultant/designer Barry Greve.

I was so much impressed with the authenticity/design that I bought an aquamarine necklace for our daughter, and earrings to match are in the making.

Martin and her partner, Greve, officially started Martin | Greve Designs in November 2006, after collaborating with each other since 2005.

Greve, an attorney for Leprechaun, a company in Fort Worth, hired Martin as a legal assistant in 2005.

“I would bring a piece of jewelry to work and Barry would tweak it,” said Martin. “I would show him something [jewelry], and he would make additions.”

Martin said that her interest in jewelry making started as a hobby.

“When I was a child I collected French, Italian and German porcelain dolls,” she said. “I needed accessories for the dolls to wear, and I took a class to learn how to make beaded purses. That’s how the art came about.”

She said her father was always appreciative of someone who did things with their hands, and he would praise her.

Cultured pearls with 14-karat pearl and diamond clasp.

Martin said she learned how to do lapidary work when she was a child and has sort of self-taught herself through books, magazines and people.

“I’ve only had one class in jewelry making, but have had lots of classes in beading,” Martin said.

According to Greve, his knowledge and education of gems came when he was growing up.

“My parents were closet gemologists, and I worked in the jewelry department of Sanger-Harris when I was in college,” he said. “I’ve also worked with jewelers in designing gifts for my wife.”

Greve has a Bachelor or Arts Degree in economics from the University of Texas at Austin and earned a law degree from American University in 1990. Martin studied liberal arts for three years at Eastfield Community College, Texas Tech University, and Southern Methodist University.

“I was a law librarian for 25 years and have been in legal work 30 years,” Martin said.

Martin said that when she and Greve are creating jewelry she will construct while both of them think.

“I already have the finished product in my head and Nancy will tell me whether or not logistically it will work,” Greve said. “Once we finish the product, we have separation issues if we know that it’s not going to a good home.”

Martin and Greve both agree that jewelry making is definitely therapeutic.

“We both have high-stress jobs and at the end of the day when we’re working on a piece of jewelry, I tell my wife that if we don’t sell it, she will have a nice piece of jewelry, and Nancy and I will have released tensions,” Greve said.

Pear shaped tourmalinated quartz on snowflake obsidian chain with hematite circles and rock crystal.

According to Greve, Martin | Greve Designs buys non-artificial, non-enhanced, non-synthetic, all real gems from bead wholesaler suppliers in Austin, Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, North Carolina, and New York.

“Most of what we buy is at gem shows once or twice a year,” he said. “We use already cut and polished stones that are not commonly available and work them into our pieces of jewelry.

“We’re weary about going online, because we aren’t sure about quality issues.”

Jewelry is designed into classic styles, rather than trendy, said Greve.

“We want our customers to enjoy something for a lifetime,” he said. “Also, not only are our stones real, but we use 14-karat gold, 92.5 per cent sterling silver and Thailand handmade 96 per cent to 98 per cent Hill Tribe Silver.

“The Hill Tribe Silver is somewhat primitive and no two pieces are alike.”

The feedback from people has been very gratifying, Martin said, and it’s amazing that they have made such a tremendous amount of jewelry since the start of business.

“We have spent a little over a year in research and development, and our goal this year is to get jewelry into the retail market,” said Greve.

According to Greve, their jewelry is surprisingly under-priced compared to competitors.

“Almost everything, with the exception of some high-end pieces, is less than $500,” he said. “The average price is $250, depending on the type of jewelry.”

When a customer has a special order, Martin said, they will sit down with the person(s) with the gems in front of them and let the customer play with the gems until together they come up with a piece that is a part of the customer and the maker.

“I met Nancy about two or three years ago at a beading class that she was teaching in Carrollton,” said customer Laurie Durden. “I was very inspired by her and bought four pieces from the Martin | Greve Gallery, one being a pair of intricately designed pearl earrings on which I get lots of compliments.

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