Our Story
Born in Cleveland, Paul grew up in Vermont and went to Dartmouth College. There he aquired enough skills and techniques to enable him to launch a jewelry studio, which he did in 1977 at 68 South Main Street in Hanover, New Hampshire. He started his business by making jewelry to sell at national craft shows, like the American Craft Council (ACC) show in Rhinebeck, New York. In addition, he began to display his jewelry for sale in his studio.
In 1990, Paul moved his studio to the Hanover Park building at 3 Lebanon Street and created a gallery in which he sold fine jewelry created by nationally known small-studio artists. He also expanded his business to include two additional goldsmiths whose work was also sold in the gallery.
In October, 2017, Paul celebrated his 40th anniversary in business in Hanover. He decided to return to his roots, to sell and display only jewelry made at Designer Gold. At the same time, he began to focus more on creating one-of-a-kind pieces and commissioned pieces for individuals.
Paul’s Biography
Read his expanded biography here.
Our History
Paul Gross and Diane Egbert opened their studio, Electrum, at 68 South Main Street in Hanover, New Hampshire, in 1977. They marketed their work through national craft shows like the American Craft Council Show in Rhinebeck, New York, and Baltimore, Maryland. Their work was sold in galleries throughout the United States, France and Australia.
In 1984, Diane left Hanover, taking the name Electrum with her. Paul continued working in his studio, newly named Designer Gold. During those first years, the direction of Paul’s work shifted from selling through galleries to displaying his work in his studio and doing custom work for people who found their way to his studio.
By 1990, when Designer Gold moved to its present location in the Hanover Park Building at 3 Lebanon Street, Paul expanded his business to include a gallery which offered works by other fine handmade jewelry artists. During the next 18 years, Paul’s work was split among handcrafting for the gallery, designing and making custom pieces for individuals, and repairing fine jewelry. His focus slowly shifted over time to his current emphasis of creating commission pieces.
After forty years of business in Hanover, it made sense to simplify his business. Now in our gallery, we display only jewelry made in our Designer Gold studio here in Hanover, and we promote fine handmade jewelry through special exhibits.
Read our expanded history here.
Our Design Process
Paul does all our custom design. He works in a wide variety of styles: traditional, contemporary, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and his own individual styles. One will be just right for you. Come in or call for a free design consultation.
Most of our jewelry is cast here in our studio. We frequently use the lost wax casting process which offers you the chance to view your design in a hand carved wax model before it is created in precious metal. Tell us what you want, and we will work to make your vision a reality.
Lost Wax Casting
In the lost wax casting process, Paul carves a model of the jewelry piece out of blue wax, in this case a ring. This photo shows the ring blank and the customer's stone around which the ring will be designed.
Once the model is carved, customers may make changes until the design looks exactly the way they want it before we cast it in the precious metal of their choice. The wax is substantial enough so the customer can try on rings with the stones set in place. People say, “If you like the design in the blue wax, you'll love it in gold, palladium or platinum!”
Here is a rough casting in gold, Paul will cut off the sprue (the base) and polish the piece. Once it is cleaned and polished, then Paul will set any gemstones that have been chosen for the design.
And here is the finished one-of-a-kind piece, ready to be worn and enjoyed!