THE GREEN LAKE SHOP
Translating our client’s ideas into beautiful custom jewelry
to celebrate the iconic moments in life since 1996.
Your piece was crafted in the
Bellevue studio
The Bellevue shop is a state of the art custom design and production studio where the artists work in full view of the public. This location is also the heart of our stone cutting dept, with a full time lapidary on-site cutting Sapphires and other gemstones from rough.
The design Bellevue studio has 15 design stations including 3 private meeting rooms and a full scale coffee and wine bar.
Green Lake Jewelry Works opened its doors on Seattle’s Green Lake Drive in 1996. Since then, its craftspeople have grown to win national recognition for excellence in the art of fine jewelry making with two distinct workshops where each piece is made by hand.
In 2016, celebrating 20 years of artistry, Green Lake Jewelry Works created a second studio in Bellevue, WA with the aim of creating the perfect environment for both jewelers and clients.
Named one of the ‘Coolest Stores in America’ by Instore Magazine, the Bellevue studio is home to some of the most talented jewelers in the country, where a tradition of dedicated craftsmanship is passed from masters to journeymen and women.
YOUR CUSTOM DESIGN
Custom jewelry at Green Lake always begins with ideas, inspirations, and a sketch, where the many design elements that make for the perfect ring are discovered through ideation.
Oftentimes, a ring will go through many iterations and changes along the way before the final look is achieved.
DESIGNER
Kathy started in jewelry while pursuing her degree in interior design and business, but eventually became so enamored by the mystique, excitement, and many facets that the jewelry industry offered that she made it her career. Since then, Kathy has worked in collectible estate pieces from time periods ranging from Victorian, Edwardian, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and Retro. She’s headed store display for major jewelry store chains, served as a diamond consultant within the world’s largest online jewelers and operated her own trading company, providing exceptionally rare gemstones to industry clients nationwide.
A longtime member of the American Gem Trade Association, the Gemological Institute of America and Diamond Council of America, Kathy appreciates a broad range of mediums and offers the experience and technical acumen needed to guide clients. Her favorite part about what she does? It’s creating a beautiful timeless piece of jewelry that clients can wear and pass down to future generations.
CLEANUP & DETAILING
Each ring in a small casting batch shares a common vein of gold or platinum, from where it’s cut and prepared for setting. Rough castings first need to be carefully cleaned and polished before more bench work can be done. Even the inner surfaces are carefully detailed.
100 PERCENT RECYCLED
Green Lake’s use of gold and platinum comes from 100% recycled or certified Fairmined sources. We are one of the nation’s first adopters of recycled casting grain certified by SCS Global Services. Today we return all scrap and unused noble metals for refining in a transparent supply chain.
CRAFTSMANSHIP
All areas of old-world jewelry making are completed in a single workshop. Master gold and platinumsmiths receive rings from casting and set to care for each pieces as a one-of-kind, collaborating with designers to ensure each detail is included.
MOKUME GANE
Mokume gane, Japanese for woodgrain metal, is a process of forging layers of different metals into a thick billet, then creating patterns through carefully hand working and forging techniques.
Mokume gane was originally used to create and adorn swords in 17th century Japan. Over time, Japanese metalsmiths turned their attention to other objects, with a crafts revival in the 1970’s that eventually translated this tradition into rings and other jewelry.
Like the forged steel Samurai swords from which this technique originated, Mokume rings exhibit undulating waves of different noble metals, and no two patterns are ever precisely the same. Your own Mokume piece is a handmade one-of-a-kind heirloom.
FINAL POLISH
Each custom made item in the Green Lake workshop receives a final polish before it’s carefully inspected and reviewed for standards of excellence. Each project is at last stamped with the Green Lake leaf quality mark before delivery.
YOUR FINISHED PIECE
Custom band with a flat comfort fit profile comprised of a ~4.5mm wide section of 18k yellow gold, 14k palladium white gold, and sterling silver non-etched Mokume Gane and (1) ~2mm wide 14k palladium white gold rail. The two sections are flush next to one another without any level change or groove. All with a satin matte finish.