Steven Kretchmer

Steven Kretchmer has often been referred to as the most innovative designer to ever hit the jewelry scene. World renowned for his eighteen karat blue gold, purple gold, gold mokume gane, and other magical precious metals, he captured mysterious yet fundamental forces of nature and transformed them into timeless works of art. Steven’s signature Tension-Set jewelry and magnetic Polarium platinum jewelry have revolutionized fine jewelry design.

Steven Kretchmer earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Rhode Island School of Design and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Michigan. Steven had worked at prestigious jewelry firms in New York and Milan, where he had met his wife Alma and his daughter Claudia. In 1991, Steven Kretchmer Design, Inc. was founded in Los Angeles, California.

During his career, Steven had received numerous awards for his continual success in extending the boundaries of fine jewelry design. He had also been granted a number of patents for precious metal product inventions and alloys, including multicolored layered golds, tension settings, and Polarium, a permanently magnetic platinum alloy developed for a line of fine jewelry that exhibits amazing behaviors, including levitation.

Steven Kretchmer’s continual development and use of unique precious metals, displayed in ageless designs with diamonds and gems, added new dimensions to the fine art of jewelry.

“I design future classics that become heirlooms…precious pieces, created by rare techniques. I do not redo what has been done.

I challenge myself to go beyond the aesthetic and functional design solutions when working with precious metals. My passion is to create pieces that contain wizardry, enchantment, and power that reunite us with our timeless imaginations. Craftsmanship and technique are necessary elements, but my love for the mystery of jewelry must always be apparent in my art.

To achieve my vision, I combine forms and technologies using whatever is necessary: coal, lasers, hammers and computers. I sometimes need to develop new precious metal alloys with a characteristic that does not exist.”