The "Balboa Park Carousel Egg"
The " Balboa Park Carousel Egg" Commissioned by Dr.s Barry and Anne Marfleet 18 years of construction and development time 22K Gold, Platinum, Diamonds, 45% lead crystal, Sterling silver , enamel (and more…). Fully functional replica of the "Balboa Park Carousel", Balboa Park, San Diego, Ca. In the collection of the San Diego Natural History Museum.
Material
- silver
Base
- metal
Meet the Maker
Jim Grahl
J Grahl Design
Hi,
My name is Jim Grahl. I'm nearing 78 years old, 62 of those years have been continuously devoted to jewelry and industrial design. My training initiated with a Los Angeles workshop that was the contract (or outsource) manufacturer for Van Cleef and Arpels, Gump's, Pierre Touraine and many others that were the foundation of the West Coast's fine Art~Jewelry establishment. I have formal apprenticeships in Pave' setting (Gerardo Terranova) and ancillary training in platinum-smithing, machining, and antique musical restoration. My personal business ( J.Grahl Design ) was founded at the outset and has been in continuous operation for 48 years. (as of 2012). I'm a maker-builder at heart.
All of the items shown in the photographs and illustrations here, on "Custom Made", are exactly that… Custom Made. You will see many cross over categories in metal, wood, glass and illustration-art. I am deeply involved with both vintage autos and surfing, so items relating to those topics are exposed here as well. There are generally a few of my projects available for live viewing at the Museum at the Gemological Institute of America as well as The San Diego Natural History Museum. The Gemological Institute requires prior notification for a visit.
So enough of me, one's work should speak for itself.
Having a piece of work custom made is an enjoyable process if communication is clear, to that end, a phone call, short check list of objectives, mutually agreed upon budget and a few rough sketches are useful in beginning a project. To move forward accurate renderings and a deposit ( along with a delivery date) start the process in motion. A great deal of my work has been commissioned out of state and out of country, so again, clear communication has been critical to those successes.
Thank you,
Jim Grahl
J.Grahl Design
For reference,
My business offers services in the following areas;
Design
Illustration
Project and product development
Art, originals and prints (Automotive )
Automotive design (vintage restoration)
Metal smithing
Bronze, brass, aluminum, titanium, steel fabrication
Custom wood working, design, prototyping, (small scale)
Production development for line items
Pewter & white metal design & production
Cast Iron design and production
Organizing outsourced production for direct client turnover
I have a particular specialty in Natural, South Sea and collectable cultured pearls. Please view,
Customer Reviews
Paul Reffett
Jan 20, 2012Jim was wonderful to work with, I would not hesitate to use him again and I'm sure I will have another project for him in the near future. Jim seemed very attentive to detail and keept me informed on the progress of the piece from start to finish, he emaild pictures of the piece at various points during the process so that I could see how it was made. Jim always had time to discuss my concerns and worked diligently to get the piece to me at the scheduled time which was only 10 days or so from the final go ahead.
John Marburger
Jan 16, 2012Jim was fantastic to work with, and created a uniquely beautiful ring! It was a lot of fun to work with him over several weeks to design the ring and choose the exact stones. Jim helped us choose an astonishing alexandrite, then transformed it into an elegant ring with two pear-shaped green sapphires as side stones and pave-set diamonds encircling all three stones.
Nathaniel Heald
Jul 11, 2012Great Experience - Fiance is Mesmerized I decided to work with Jim for the creation of a unique engagement ring. My then girlfriend decided she wanted an emerald cut eternity band rather than the typical diamond solitaire. Unfortunately she is one of the pickiest people I know - this was a job that needed to be done just right... I posted the project to CustomMade and was very impressed by the responses I received. Of those, Jim rose to the top due to the many positive recommendations and the breadth of his experience in hand fabricating complicated and impressive jewlery. In starting to work with Jim I also needed to be sure that he was someone who was willing to work in a partnership so that I could make tweaks to the piece as it was in process so that it would stand up to my girlfriend's scrutiny. Jim was extremely willing and easy to work with in that he took my input to the process and was able, each time, to improve upon it. During the creation Jim kept me updated on his progress both through emails and through photographs - its incredible to see the amount of work and true attention that Jim poured into this ring. When the time came to propose to my girlfriend she was knocked over - she absolutely loves it. She's shown it off to her friends every day since we got engaged and is very proud of the fact that it was custom made for her. The final product has exceeded her expectations in every way - and the special touch that it was custom made as opposed to being "off the rack" means a lot to her (and to me). Jim is a pleasure to work with - I highly recommend him and his work
Dorrie Burke
Jan 19, 2012The ring was gorgeous and exceeded all of my expectations. The workmanship was truly magnificent, and the price was extremely reasonable. Jim was great to work with and communicated throughout the project. Would highly recommend.
Tom Van Arsdall
May 11, 2012He worked well with me to create the design and quality product I desired.