About the owner: Kathryn Kinev

Kathryn has been into jewelry ever since she was a child.

By 1977 she was designing and making jewelry for friends. After working for other jewelers for several years, she started her own business, Jewel Creations, Inc., from the closet in her apartment in 1983 while attending Georgia State University in Atlanta. Only two years later she moved into a shop in the prestigious Buckhead area of Atlanta where she stayed for over 15 years.

Kathryn really does do it all: designs, appraisals, and repairs. She alloys the metals, draws the gold wire, and weaves the gold mesh.

Though it is not her main activity, Kathryn also has exceptional skill at repairing jewelry. It is not unusual for another jeweler to come to her with a particularly tough repair job.

She is also one of the very rare jewelers who uses granulation, an ancient and time-consuming technique of applying tiny spheres of gold to a surface.

Skill in all areas of jewelry making

Especially casting, design, fabrication, granulation, stone setting, and use of both gold (both 18k and 22k) and platinum.

Jewelry appraisal

  • Extensive experience with antique, estate, and period jewelry.
  • Owns a lab and a Master Diamond Set.
  • Follows ASA standards and guidelines.

Education

  • Bachelor of Fine Arts in Jewelry Design and Silversmithing, Georgia State University, 1984
  • Graduate Gemologist, Gemological Institute of America (GIA), 1987
  • Fellow, Gemological Association and Gem Testing Laboratory of Great Britain, 1990

Associations

Georgia GIA Alumni Association: Current President
Southern Women’s Jewelry Association (SWJA): Former Vice President

Member of:

  • Accredited Gemologist Association
  • American Society of Jewelry Historians
  • Georgia Jewelers Association (GJA)
  • Jewelers of America (JA)
  • National Association of Jewelry Appraisers

Past member of:

  • American Society of Appraisers
  • Florida Society of Goldsmiths

Awards and Scholarships

  • Best use of Platinum and Color, Summer AGTA 2016
  • Spectrum Award Winner Bridal Platinum Honors 2016
  • SWJA: President’s Award, 1989
  • GJA Design Contest: Second Place, 1992
  • GJA Design Contest: Third Place, 1994
  • JA Scholarships: 1990, 1992, 1993
  • SWJA Scholarships: 1991, 1993, 1995