Buying from the Designer while visiting Maine''s most beautiful harbor community,a unique moment that will last a lifetime.
The experience of purchasing a fine ring or piece of exquisite Jewelry can be enhanced in two ways. First by visiting Camden, Maine and second by visiting Etienne Perret a master jeweler and artist at his studio.
In February my husband offered to purchase a diamond Etienne Starlight band for me for a combined 40th anniversary, Valentine''s Day gift. We knew we wanted white gold with traditional white diamonds . We saw an ad for the rings in a Maine publication, called the number on the ad, and got Etienne himself. We discussed our choices and ordered the ring. This was a memorable experience in itself, as we had time to personally chat and we learned a bit on how to choose the ring. The ring was made as ordered and within several arrived. The ring was beautiful but too big. Due to conflicts in schedules we were not able to do anything about the ring until April. We live in Maine, 90 minutes north of Camden where Etienne has his studio. We chose a bright Spring day and drove to Camden to meet with Etienne to discuss our options.
Our time spent with Etienne made for a memorable hour. We were able to see the work space where he creates his masterpieces. We saw the magnificent pearls and new artistic jewelry pieces he was working on. Because it is almost impossible to make a ring smaller, we decided to order a new ring that would be wider in depth but smaller in size. However, we also were delighted to be able to look at the Starlight bands he had in already made in locked away in his safe, just to see if there might be something comparable that I would be able to take home that day. Having a relatively small finger, most everything was too big or not what I really wanted. It was however, like being a kid in a candy shop, looking at the myriad of styles, some with colored diamonds, some rings with raised pearls, some avante gard, some traditional. Incredibly a ring my size, and the style I wanted was available. The drawback was that instead of white gold, it was platinum, a bit too much for our budget. Etienne,however, offered the ring to us at a very reasonable price and I esctatically walked out with a platinum Starlight band with white diamonds. This was a truly unexpected gift.
The time spent during that hour, included discussions of pearls, diamonds, politics, the local economy and our families. We learned a great deal, and loved every minute of reparte with this extremely talented artist. We were treated to a special hour with a special man, on a beautiful day in an idyllic Maine coastal town. We took a photo of the ring which does not do it justice, but it is better than the one on my gnarly finger. It is beautiful. It is a treasure that will become an heirloom. (See the attachment.)
If you ever have the opportunity to visit, Maine, love beautiful jewelry pieces not seen in the mall stores and that are hand crafted, call Etienne. He will answer the phone and he will talk you through the ring purchase process or offer to meet you at his studio. Maine, Etienne Perret, lobster on the harbor, a night in a romantic Camden Inn. It doesn''t get any better than that.
Thank-you Etienne.

The experience of purchasing a fine ring or piece of exquisite Jewelry can be enhanced in two ways. First by visiting Camden, Maine and second by visiting Etienne Perret a master jeweler and artist at his studio.
In February my husband offered to purchase a diamond Etienne Starlight band for me for a combined 40th anniversary, Valentine''s Day gift. We knew we wanted white gold with traditional white diamonds . We saw an ad for the rings in a Maine publication, called the number on the ad, and got Etienne himself. We discussed our choices and ordered the ring. This was a memorable experience in itself, as we had time to personally chat and we learned a bit on how to choose the ring. The ring was made as ordered and within several arrived. The ring was beautiful but too big. Due to conflicts in schedules we were not able to do anything about the ring until April. We live in Maine, 90 minutes north of Camden where Etienne has his studio. We chose a bright Spring day and drove to Camden to meet with Etienne to discuss our options.
Our time spent with Etienne made for a memorable hour. We were able to see the work space where he creates his masterpieces. We saw the magnificent pearls and new artistic jewelry pieces he was working on. Because it is almost impossible to make a ring smaller, we decided to order a new ring that would be wider in depth but smaller in size. However, we also were delighted to be able to look at the Starlight bands he had in already made in locked away in his safe, just to see if there might be something comparable that I would be able to take home that day. Having a relatively small finger, most everything was too big or not what I really wanted. It was however, like being a kid in a candy shop, looking at the myriad of styles, some with colored diamonds, some rings with raised pearls, some avante gard, some traditional. Incredibly a ring my size, and the style I wanted was available. The drawback was that instead of white gold, it was platinum, a bit too much for our budget. Etienne,however, offered the ring to us at a very reasonable price and I esctatically walked out with a platinum Starlight band with white diamonds. This was a truly unexpected gift.
The time spent during that hour, included discussions of pearls, diamonds, politics, the local economy and our families. We learned a great deal, and loved every minute of reparte with this extremely talented artist. We were treated to a special hour with a special man, on a beautiful day in an idyllic Maine coastal town. We took a photo of the ring which does not do it justice, but it is better than the one on my gnarly finger. It is beautiful. It is a treasure that will become an heirloom. (See the attachment.)
If you ever have the opportunity to visit, Maine, love beautiful jewelry pieces not seen in the mall stores and that are hand crafted, call Etienne. He will answer the phone and he will talk you through the ring purchase process or offer to meet you at his studio. Maine, Etienne Perret, lobster on the harbor, a night in a romantic Camden Inn. It doesn''t get any better than that.
Thank-you Etienne.
