About Us
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What sets Ariadne Fine Jewelry apart from all other fine jewelry stores is we do not carry mass produced fine jewelry -- but only jewelry that is inspired by the vision and originality of Ariadne and/or the customer. We are able to sit with each customer, and tailor a piece to the precious metal, gemstone, and style to fit the desired end product..
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Our History
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ARIADNE FINE JEWELRY® has been providing high quality jewelry repair and design services to customers for more than 25 years.
Our experience in general jewelry repair as well as custom design and manufacturing comes from years of working in family oriented businesses and diverse jewelry manufacturing and retail environments. Jose Renteria, started by helping his father, a bench jeweler, in the jewelry business at the young age of 8 years. Instead of playing after school with the other kids, Jose along with his brother, helped his father by learning to operate a press for die cutting gold and silver sheets and making earrings. When his father died, Jose was still a young boy, and with his brother, they took his place at the press in the family business on a full time basis. While working in various odd jobs, Jose never lost his desire to work with precious metals and gemstones. He sought and took a position as an apprentice in downtown Chicago in the area known as Jewelers Row on Wabash Avenue. He took some courses from local jewelry trade schools and subsequently worked in various jewelry manufacturing companies. Earning the trust and confidence of his employers, he was assigned to work on specific accounts for companies like J C Penney and Montgomery Ward. As he continued to learn and grow in the jewelry business, Jose increased his skill and knowledge working for Service Merchandise and Fey and Company in Naperville, Illinois, Marks Brothers, Reflections, Pagoda Jewelers and Lundstroms in Ford City Mall and Marks Brothers, and Whitehall Jewelers in Chicago Ridge Mall and for Zales and Fast Fix Jewelers in Houston. . In 1990, we opened the first jewelers trade school in Chicago, Renteria Jewelers Trade School, Inc. which was approved by the Illinois State Board of Education and were featured in the Chicago Tribune Jobs’ section for offering a “Gem of An Opportunity” in the art of fine jewelry. Students who graduated were able to obtain bench jeweler positions with various retail jewelers. In 1991, a husband and wife team took the jewelry repair and stone setting courses and traveled two hours each way from Elkhorn Illinois because they wanted to become professionals in this industry. They were featured in La Voz de Chicago in June 1991, a local community newspaper. Moving to Houston from Chicago in 1998 was a great change in many ways. Both Jose and Marie have continued to grow in skill and knowledge in what has become a successful business today. Jose keeps up with industry trends by attending bench jeweler workshops by well known entities like Stuller and Bench Media. Marie Renteria is a Graduate Gemologist having received her diploma from GIA and performs appraisals, gem identity and gemstone grading for ARIADNE FINE JEWELRY®. |