Owners specialize in custom accessories

What started as a passion for art has grown into a lifelong career in designing and selling jewelry and accessories for Robert Kirkwood, owner of Your Jeweler. Since 2001, Robert and his wife Ruthie have co-owned their intimate jewelry store off Jones Road, specializing in custom pieces, diamonds and other works of art and paying special attention to their customer's needs.

"We treat our customers like family, and we get to know everyone who comes through the door," said Ruthie Kirkwood. "We have the best customers and we have really good relationships with them. We can certainly make you feel good about coming in."

As an art major at the University of Houston, Robert Kirkwood used his talents for painting and sculpting. Before graduating, he was hired at a family friend's jewelry store and found a new passion.

"After I left college, I was just looking for a part-time job," he said. "When I took the job, I started to pick it up real quick. I found it interesting."

After about a year in the shop, Robert decided to go into the jewelry business for himself, opening a store behind Corrigan's in Greenspoint Mall. He worked on repairs and custom jewelry for the store along with several wholesale jewelers before opening a freestanding location off FM 1960 in the early 1970s, where he worked for several years on his own. During that time, Robert met and married Ruthie. The couple went into business together, opening a pawn shop in the area.

More than 10 years ago, the Kirkwoods went back into the jewelry business and opened Your Jeweler off Grant and Jones roads. They have since moved a few miles down the road, but they still offer a wide selection of custom-made jewelry along with accessories and set and loose diamonds.

The business utilizes old school techniques for custom work such as a lost-wax method in which the jeweler makes a wax model of the piece and places it in plaster. The mold is then heated at 1,350 degrees Fahrenheit until the wax disintegrates, leaving an impression into which the precious metal is poured. Up until about five or six years ago, Robert Kirkwood made all of his moldings by hand, but he has since implemented computer software to allow for more intricate designs and a streamlined process.

"There are only a small handful of places that still do this by hand," Robert Kirkwood said. "But some things you have to do by hand. Computers can't make organic 3D moldings that I like to make."

The Kirkwoods stay busy with repairs, remounts, custom designs and engravings, but Robert Kirkwood said he does not wish to expand.

"I used to do work for 42 locations," he said. "There was a time when I had six jewelers working for me, but I like the simplicity of this operation now."

Custom-made jewelry

Any customer who desires a custom-made piece of jewelry or accessory can receive a significant discount toward the cost by providing unwanted gold or precious metals. Your Jeweler is able to melt down unwanted pieces and create a new and unique item. Robert Kirkwood said he owes much of his business to custom jewelry, bringing older and sometimes dated pieces back to life with contemporary designs.

Versatile workshop

Before opening Your Jeweler, owner Robert Kirkwood worked in jewelry repair for more than 40 locations throughout Houston for several years out of a small shop in Greenspoint Mall. His passion for art and sculpting grew into an expansive career in creating custom jewelry for clients. Kirkwood uses his natural talents to create designs distinctive to Your Jeweler such as his well-known horse pendants.

Expanded services

Since opening Your Jeweler in late 2001, owner Robert Kirkwood has expanded his services to include:

• Custom jewelry
• Hand-made 3D moldings, designs
• Gold and precious metal purchasing
• Watch and jewelry repair, finishing
• Loose and set diamond sales
• Wax moldings
• Consultations

12155 Jones Road, Ste. 200 , Houston 281-469-2706

• Mon.–Fri. 10:30 a.m.–6 p.m.
• Sat. 10 a.m.–2 p.m.