WAVELENGTHS: Neptune Beach goldsmith creates stunning custom creations

Jay Lubeck has perfected his goldsmith and jewelry making skills with constant work since his start in 1973.

Certificates from the many hands-on training seminars and classes hang on the walls of his well-stocked workshop. The most important is probably for the course on Advanced Diamond Setting GIA (Gemological Institute Association).

It all began in Santa Barbara, Calif., where he was doing leather work at his mother's house. He took some of it to sell at the Laguna Beach Sawdust Festival.

"A young man came by my spot and he had some loose turquoise stones. They were fascinating to me and we sat under my wagon and I made my first ring and bracelet," Jay said. "I went back to Santa Barbara and began selling my work at the Cabrillo Boulevard Art Show."

The first diamond he ever mounted in the early 1970s fell off and he had to remount it; that's when he knew he had more to learn.

"It's a funny story. Another customer had a diamond of the same size and he was willing to trade it for some turquoise stones he wanted mounted," said Jay. "So, I was able to fix the setting the way it should have been."

That's part of how he "learned the hard way," during his long career.

He moved to Jacksonville Beach in 1973, and bought into a business called Silver and Stone. It was half jewelry and half leather products.

He eventually bought the partner out, and from 1975 to 1989, his corporate name was Jay Lubeck, Goldsmith.

He laughs when thinking about his earliest work.

"I practiced on you guys. Thank you very much," he said. "I learned the hard way back then. It's a true art form."

Now operating as Jewels by Lubeck, he moved to his current location at Orange and First streets in Neptune Beach. His simple well-lit show room is carefully patrolled by two sweet aging dogs who will lick troublemakers into submission.

The world of custom jewelry may look glamourous, but behind the scenes, there is an impressive collection of sophisticated equipment and a list of important, exclusive suppliers.

Jay demonstrated his laser welding machine, which allows much more precise strong welds than a standard welders torch. It sits in a room full of very specialized tools needed to do the jobs just right.

"I can adjust each weld by several factors. The laser does not affect valuable gemstones, unlike the torch, which radiates heat and can damage adjacent stones and gold," said Jay, explaining the differences between the methods of welding his creations.

Jay uses two diamond suppliers who buy their gems from Antwerp, Belgium. His beloved turquoise is now in short supply and comes mainly from private collectors.

Most of his gold comes from a private company, Stuller, that only sells to licensed jewelers.

"You can't polish 24 karat gold. It's just too soft. It must be 21 karat gold, which is 91 percent gold and then a mixture of alloys like nickel and copper," he said. "Customers will bring in grandma's jewelry scraps and old chains, which I will send to our refinery. There, it is cleaned of solder and alloys and sent back to me."

He works in four gold colors. Rose gold is 75 percent gold with 22.5 percent copper and 2.5 percent silver. White gold is also 75 percent gold, as well as 25 percent nickel and zinc. Yellow gold is 75 percent gold alloyed with copper and zinc. Green gold is alloyed with silver.

As of the day we met, sterling silver was selling for $27 an ounce, gold for $1,778 and the substance he uses for plating his gold, rhodium, a mere $22,000 an ounce.

"Rhodium comes in five-gram vials which is put into distilled water for use as a plating solution for white gold to help it keep its color," said Jay.

He showed me three short lengths of gold wire in its basic colors rose, white and yellow gold that were worth $200 to $$250 each. From behind the display cases out front, it became clear why quality jewelry can be expensive.

Jay has taught his daughter, Kindred, the craft of silver work. She has taken over, most of the sterling silver work. Jay deals with gold and platinum design and repair. Both share display cases of their craft in the small show room.

Jay showed me his hand-drawn design for a $45,000 (not a typo) diamond studded belt buckle he is building for a client to mount with a pure anaconda skin belt. It will feature seven karat diamond and custom gold work.

Another side of his business is firearm sales. Jay is the necessary middle man who handles the required paperwork that allows customers to order firearms from a manufacturer.

Lubeck exudes a confident pride in what he has learned during his long career in a demanding profession. He welds artful design and old school craftsmanship to his work.

Jay agrees with a paraphrased statement another artist made remarks about the price clients pay for works of art: "You aren't just paying for a few dollars' worth of materials, you are paying for the value an artist puts into them."

However, his materials are a bit more than just a "few dollars' worth!"