The Jeweler’s Bench sparkles with new ownership, creativity

Cheryl Hentz

Contributor

October 28, 2024

HUDSON – Earlier this year, Kristen Iburg-Meyer said she fulfilled a longtime dream of owning a brick-and-mortar jewelry store. 

Iburg-Meyer says she purchased The Jeweler’s Bench at 216 Locust St. in Hudson when the previous owner decided to retire. 

She said she had known the former owner from the years they had both spent in the jewelry industry.

Now, as owner of The Jeweler’s Bench trademarked name and storefront, Iburg-Meyer said she will feature not only her own designs but those of other jewelers as well.  

“I decided because I’m also representing other designers who do work similar to mine, that The Jeweler’s Bench was a very nice neutral name to represent all of us – because we’re all creating work by hand, and the bench that we work from is called a jeweler’s bench,” she said. “It was a way of focusing the store and website on everyone, instead of just me. I also wanted people to be aware of the handcrafted pieces by others being featured in my store.”

The Jewelers Bench is both a jewelry store and studio, Iburg-Meyer said, featuring artisan jewelry, bridal sets and custom-designed pieces, while also offering jewelry repairs.

She said the studio and showroom share the space, “so customers can see the work being done.”

Iburg-Meyer said she believes the store can shine just as brightly as big-box stores when it comes to engagement and wedding ring options – with the added bonus of individualized service and creativity.

“I also offer people a place to go for more customized pieces, whether they’re mine or someone else’s,” she said. “My whole goal when I opened my store was I didn’t want a traditional jewelry store feel.”

From graduation to galleries

Iburg-Meyer graduated from Iowa State University’s College of Design in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in art, design and visual studies – with a heavy focus on metals.

“While in school, I was kind of finding my way and deciding what medium I wanted to work in,” she said. “I always thought it was going to be 2-D, but I always liked 3-D as well. One of my professors steered me in the direction of metals and jewelry design, and I was hooked. I absolutely loved it.”

After getting married, Iburg-Meyer said she and her husband moved to a small town in North Central Iowa where she worked for a family-owned jewelry store.

From the start of her jewelry career, she said she learned all she could about repair, design, customization and the nature of the industry – wisdom she hoped to utilize in the future at her own studio. 

Iburg-Meyer said she gained further experience when she and her husband eventually moved to Minnesota, where she worked for another family-owned jewelry store. 

“There I was able to design, do heavy repairs and sales,” she said. “We had to do everything at this store – from knowing how to change watch batteries to jewelry repairs and design.”

In addition to building her knowledge, Iburg-Meyer said she steadily invested in her own equipment – a jeweler’s bench, setups for polishing and a torch set-up and “all the fine little tools” – and by 2010, she was able to establish her own studio.

She said she accrued nearly $30,000 worth of equipment and materials and takes personal pride in her incremental investments as opposed to having taken out a lump-sum loan.

“I’d create (jewelry) and then when something would sell, I’d put the money back into my business and buy more equipment,” Iburg-Meyer said. “There’s still a few more things I’m wanting to get. The tools you can get and use in your design work are endless. But what you use really depends on the kind of jewelry you’re making.” 

A studio is born

In 2011, Iburg-Meyer said she launched her home-based design business, Elements Jewelry Design LLC (ElementsByK.com). 

Since establishing the business, she said she has created new pieces for customers throughout the Midwest and as far south as Florida. 

Iburg-Meyer said she has built her customer base by way of art shows, pop-up events and galleries, as well as word-of-mouth referrals and networking with other designers – whose work she now features at The Jeweler’s Bench. 

“I was able to gather more of a following of clients for custom work and establish a nice strong base as a private jeweler,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to own my own business, but I needed to figure out which direction I wanted to go – did I want to just focus on being a private jeweler or do something else? I really wanted to open my own store.”

A process of design

With so many unique pieces of jewelry, Iburg-Meyer said one may wonder: how do all those designs come to be?

She said the process is at its clearest for custom designs as customers provide direction based on their preferences of color, symmetry, comfort and durability.

“When I’m working on my own personal pieces, you have to dive in a little bit deeper,” she said. “When I first started designing, I was trying to come up with things that would reach everybody. But I was told by another designer that you can’t reach everybody. Just create what you feel and what comes out of you.” 

Iburg-Meyer said she draws inspiration from a variety of sources, including the colors, textures and patterns she appreciates in nature.

If she can’t find inspiration there, she said she revisits sketchbooks of drawings and doodles from her college days for inspiration.

Other times, Iburg-Meyer said, it’s a matter of brainstorming based on whichever precious materials she has on hand.

“If I have some stones I’ve accumulated, I try to figure out through a design how I can find a home for those stones,” she said. “So I’ll start designing some pieces from them. Or I may start sketching some ideas on paper, then try to figure out how I can incorporate stones with that. I like to add a little pop of color in many designs, too.”

Favorite materials

Iburg-Meyer said just as customers have their own preferences for styles, metals and stones, so, too, do designers.

Though she incorporates sterling silver into her designs at times, she said she personally favors the warmer tones of yellow gold.

For stones, Iburg-Meyer said she prefers opals – though the ethical sourcing of any of her stones is not just a preference, but a necessity.

“I work with various stone cutters that work with sources that I know where they’re sourcing their stones from, and they can call out the particular mine,” she said. 

One source Iburg-Meyer said she recommends is a bit closer to home: one’s own jewelry box.

She said much of her business includes creating new designs with materials from other, older jewelry.

“A lot of people have been buying my personal work, but then they may see a ring of mine and ask if they can take gems from another piece they may have… and have the stones put into some other kind of design,” she said. “I can absolutely do that.”

With custom work and otherwise, Iburg-Meyer said she will soon grow increasingly busy heading into the holiday season and recommends customers anticipate six to eight weeks for custom design and creation. 

“Of course, that depends on what kind of piece is being created,” she said. “And if you’re needing specific gemstones sourced, you’ll want to allow even more time.”

Visit thejewelersbenchhudson.com to learn more.