Opus — Steven Kretchmer
About Opus — Steven Kretchmer
Expect the unexpected as Steven Kretchmer combines art, science and a little magic to create collectible works of art.
Steven Kretchmer has often been referred to as the most innovative designer to ever hit the jewelry scene. World renowned for his 18K Blue and Purple Gold, Gold Mokume-gane, and other magical precious metals, he captured mysterious yet fundamental forces of nature and revolutionized fine jewelry design. Steven began making jewelry in 1969, although the Kretchmer bloodline can be traced back several generations to jewelers of Romanian royalty. He earned his Arts degrees in the U.S. and worked at prestigious jewelry firms in New York (Harry Winston) and Milan (Faraone), where he met his wife Alma and stepdaughter Claudia. Steven received numerous awards for his continual success in extending the boundaries of fine jewelry design. He had also been granted numerous patents for precious metal inventions and alloys, including multicolored layered golds, his signature Tension-Set™ jewelry and Polarium™, a permanently magnetic platinum alloy developed for a line of fine jewelry that exhibits amazing behaviors, including levitation. Recognized by both Sotheby’s and Christie’s as one of the 10 most collectible contemporary jewelry designers, the panel named Steven “a superlative jeweler whose awards for excellence, ground breaking designs, and fearless risk-taking set the present-day standard for fine jewelry design.” The legacy renews at Steven Kretchmer, now run by his stepdaughter Claudia, taking a leave from her PhD in Astrophysics to continue the company her parents built. Along with her industry experience (she’s been at trade shows since she was 13), the interest and esthetic she learned from and shared with Steven make her a natural for the role. A female perspective and a creative use of her scientific background brings the signature Kretchmer look a feminine touch that has already earned Claudia design awards.
