The Jewelry Professor

08/08/2026

I'm in love with our most recent ring fabrication! Our client came in with a little bit of old turquoise and one vintage marquise diamond that they wanted to use in a new magnificent wedding ring! Most folks are familiar with our crushed turquoise inlay rings, but this is our first to be completed in gleaming 14kt white gold. I love this design.

This project took the whole team! All 4 of our goldsmiths at TJP worked on this incredible ring. We fabricated the band with the cathedral setting and I hand-cut the channels for the inlay as I always do. Shannon did most of the welding and set the stone; Dylan and Marco shared the inlay task and final polish. We have a great team at The Jewelry Professor. I can't be prouder of my team and I couldn't be happier with the results of this custom ring fabrication!

07/29/2026

Today's lesson is about Tips and Prongs! This ring came in with badly worn tips. Prongs are the wires that form a basket around a stone, creating a seat for the stone. A Tip is the part of the Prong that actually holds your beautiful stone in place. The Tip is the metal above the stone that is either bent over, smooshed down, or built up with a laser welder or torch, that locks the stone into the setting.

In the pictures below, you can see that the tips are badly worn in the before photo, in which only a very small amount of metal is still remaining above the stone. Once the Tips wear down, stone loss becomes imminent. The number one cause of stone loss is worn tips! In the after photo, you can see that all the tips have been rebuilt. Notice how much gold is now above the stone, locking it in place. There is no concern about stone loss in the after photo.

When it comes to jewelry, tips are like tires for your car. Tips are a wear item that need to be replaced. Most people don’t think about their tires, just like tips, until it’s a problem. If you haven’t had your tips checked recently, you probably should. Bring your rings by and have us take a look. No appointment needed, and we won’t charge you anything to look at your tips. We will let you know if you need them rebuilt and will provide you with a free, no-obligation quote if it is determined that you do.

The Jewelry Professor is located in Cedar Crest, in the same plaza as Triangle Grocery and Trail Rider pizza. We are Open from 12-5 Wednesday through Saturday! Hope to see you soon!

07/24/2026

We have been getting quite a few interesting custom orders at TJP, but this has been one of the team's favorites. Going through all hands, our jewelers have been working for a few weeks on this fully bespoke 14 karat gold spinner ring with natural diamonds from the customer's collection.

The diamonds were taken from a family piece and set into the center ring of this spinner design. Precision was paramount in this job. Every tolerance had to be exact for the ring to spin as well as the rails to fuse properly.

Stop by The Jewelry Professor to set up a custom appointment for the ring of your dreams today!

07/16/2026

We love Jewelry Repairs! Missing stones, sizing a ring up or down, repairing your broken chain that has been in your jewelry box for years, soldering broken ring shanks, or just a good Clean, Polish, and Restore (which we affectionately call CPR). We love to repair, fix, and modify existing jewelry.

This ring came in missing one little purple marquise-cut amethyst. Sure, we were only tasked with replacing this missing stone. But we just can't help it. Every repair job we complete comes back to you as shiny and clean as the day you got it.

The Jewelry Professor is located in Cedar Crest, in the same plaza as Triangle Grocery and Trail Rider pizza. We are opne Monday through Saturday from 12-5 and by appointment.

07/09/2026

Love this piece! Our client brought in their original wedding set (the center ring and the delicate diamond band on the bottom), wanting to create a new, custom anniversary band to match the original wedding set’s unique style and contours. This was a challenging project, but our team was up for it!

Upon consultation with The Jewelry Professor, our client's chosen design reimagined the traditional anniversary band to perfectly follow the contours of our client’s original wedding set. To balance out the overall composition, we also added a delicate, plain white gold band to sit right next to the original pavé-set contoured wedding band, which is barely visible in this photo.

In order to achieve such a precise fit, we made a silicone mold of the original contoured band and created a wax mockup to work from. After carving two new, unique waxes based on that mold, we cast them in gleaming white gold. After we completed the castings, we set 10 sparkling diamonds in the new contemporary contoured anniversary band.

The result is an incredibly balanced, custom wedding stack where the new bands flawlessly complement the original design, creating one cohesive piece. We are thrilled with how this turned out, and our clients couldn't be happier too!

The Jewelry Professor is located in Cedar Crest, across from Ace Hardware in the same plaza as Triangle Grocery and Trail Rider Pizza. We are open Wednesday through Friday, 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM. Stop in, call us, or reach out through Facebook if you have any questions!

07/09/2026

Anthony and Kristen are the latest TJP bride and groom to be! Originally, they came looking for some wedding bands off the shelf, but nothing was quite catching their eyes, so they made a custom appointment. After a great conversation with the team and a tour of the classroom, these newlyweds opted for a private Build a Band Class. Included was private instruction, 14 karat gold, photos and video of the process and some gluten free cheesecake compliments of one of our goldsmiths.

It is always special making engagement rings for a new couple, but there is nothing quite like a private Build a Band session. Give us a call and book a private event. We cater to your event, whether it be an intimate date night or a party for you and your friends.

Thanks again to Anthony and Kristen. Best wishes to you and your future.

07/02/2026

We are really proud to be a part of the lives of those who wear this jewelry. Handmade still means so much in the new world of budding technology. Before a piece is worn, quick hand sketches are made, we brainstorm between our team of jewelers, we process materials into stock and finally the jeweler starts creating. Afterwards, we try to remember to take beautiful photos of the work, but we also try to get the process of each piece too! Enjoy the behind the scenes of what makes a jeweler a jeweler over here at The Jewelry Professor.

07/01/2026

Time to vote Best of the City! We would be honored if you voted us the best jewelry store! Click on the link and select us for Best Jewelry Store in the Area!!! and maybe best night out, best date night, etc. if you'd like.

Thank you! At The Jewelry Professor we are a small family owned and operated business. Let's show everyone that great service and local artistry is what makes the best jewelry store, not Millions in inventory.

Albuquerque The Magazine wants you to pick the city’s best food, shopping, entertainment, personalities, and places. Fill out the ballot with your favorites

06/19/2026

She Said Yes!!! Our client came in fully prepared for their custom engagement ring appointment. They had plenty of images and even already knew her ring size! Crafted in buttery yellow gold, our final design features Mom's vintage, dazzling diamond. Set using contemporary claw prongs, the vintage diamond beautifully complements the nature-inspired theme highlighted throughout this ring design.

The trickiest part of this job was getting it done in time! Our client planned to ask the big question on an upcoming trip to Hawaii. We put our noses to the grindstone and got this amazing ring done in time for the trip... and of course She Said Yes!! We couldn't be happier with the results, and I know our client and fiancé love it too!

The Jewelry Professor is located in Cedar Crest. We specialize in Custom Jewelry Design and Fabrication, Expert Jewelry Repair, and Curated Jewelry making experiences.

06/12/2026

Just a quick little look inside at how we make things around here.