45+ Years Of Craftsmanship
Richard Gretz
Richard Gretz began creating and designing jewelry as an art student at Oregon State University.
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After graduating with a degree in art, he started pursuing jewelry as a career. He has a passion for fine craftsmanship and beautiful gemstones in hand-made jewelry. This gives him a natural medium for his creativity.
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For over 45 years, he has been one of the leading designer-goldsmiths in the Willamette Valley.
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He started Richard Gretz Goldsmiths in 1978 and has been creating unique and beautiful jewelry for customers far and wide ever since. He is always learning and exploring new concepts of the jewelry trade.
Richard's first studio was located in the old Cannery Mall in Corvallis Oregon. Although small, it served him well for many years.
In 1999 Richard opened his new store in beautiful downtown Corvallis. It sports an elegant showroom floor where you can get an up close and personal look at our latest creations.
Hidden in the back, however, lives the true heart of the store. This state-of-the-art workspace is able to support five goldsmiths and houses the specialty equipment used to create stunning works of art.
Richard Gretz Goldsmiths have truly become a sanctuary for jewelry lovers and creators all over Oregon.
Richard's casting process is called 'lost-wax casting'. This involves carving your design out of a wax block, creating a mold, and then casting it.
For years, Richard meticulously hand-carved all of his wax pieces. This was a delicate and time-consuming work. Modern technology has allowed him to significantly reduce the time necessary to produce a wax model for casting by employing the use of 3D printers and a 5-Axis CNC machine, along with the 3D modeling software.
Now, Richard can create unique and breathtakingly beautiful fine jewelry quickly and efficiently, ready to be worn.