The Gazette - Fresh Ink Article

The lost art of creating fine custom jewelry is alive and well.  It’s not found in mall stores or those giant brick-and-mortar emporiums that carry all manner of production jewelry.  That is, pieces made and reproduced in vast quantities and sold everywhere.  It exists only where the artisan dwells.

Tucked away in the northern hemisphere of Colorado Springs is an inconspicuous gem called The Gilded Artisan, where Charles Neugebauer plies his trade.  A graduate of the Gemological Institute of America, he is actually on-site in his store daily, creating custom designs for a clientele seeking something personal, beautiful and out of the ordinary or working on treasured pieces in need of repair or redesign.

Becoming a true artisan/craftsman requires time and experience spent honing the skills required for excellence but its’ also a gift and for Neugebauer, it was one passed on and nurtured by his grandfather, a master jeweler.   Hanging out with a grandpa who made jewelry was an adventure in learning.  While growing up in Sturgis, South Dakota, “We would go rock hounding and gold panning together,” recalls Neugebauer.  “As we hiked and explored, he told me the stories and lore behind gemstones.”  These experiences “ignited the fire” that led him to become a jeweler.

The path began early.  When Neugebauer was only twelve, he was already his grandfather’s apprentice and an entrepreneur making his own line of jewelry – key chains and pendants – that he sold during the Sturgis motorcycle rallies.  By the time he was nineteen, his future was clearly set in stone. 

Creating custom-designed jewelry is intensely personal and emotional from the moment a customer comes in with an idea to the finished product.  Working one on one with the customer, Neugebauer’s first step is sketching out on paper what the customer envisions, followed by a wax model and picture and finally, the piece de resistance.

True creativity and craftsmanship is a mysterious gift.  “Did Neugebauer have it all along?  “It can’t be learned from a book.  It comes from within,” he says.  “It begins with passion and desire and grows through years of experience and hard work but I know it is a gift I inherited from my grandfather.”  He also learned that every piece of jewelry is priceless to the person who owns it and its value is the sentiment behind it.

Today, Neugebauer is a master craftsman in his own right, melding the cutting-edge skills of his grandfather with modern technology.  It’s a win-win partnership.