Armenian couple unveils one-of-a-kind handcrafted jewelry pieces

PanARMENIAN.Net - A couple who hand make jewelry were in town last week to display their one-of-a-kind pieces at the Exquisite Art Treasures Gallery in Maysville, Kentucky, The Ledger Independent says.

Lydia Tutunjian and Alishan Halebian currently reside in Southern California but are originally from Armenia. They make handcrafted jewelry for men and woman.

Halebian said he turned to crafting jewelry because he was trying to find a way to provide for his family.

“I came here from Armenia in 1970 and I had never planned to do this. I was a young man and I had to support the family,” Halebian said. “I ended up in downtown (Las Angeles, Calif.). I was learning ceramic art. I already knew how to draw, but I didn’t know how to make, so I taught myself how to make. I thought I might go into architecture, but when I learned how to make the jewelry that was it. I’ve never had a dull moment since.”

According to Halebian, every piece in his collection is made, by hand, in their California studio.

“No piece is outsourced,” he said. “We make everything in the studio."

Each piece is also a one-of-a-kind, though some may have similar elements, according to Helebian.

“No piece is exactly the same,” he said. “We do not mass production either. A few pieces, like a pair of earrings, may have a similar base, but the diamonds will always be different.”

According to Tutunjian, each stone is natural.

“We only use natural colors for all of our jewelry,” she said.

Tutunjian said she handles the business side of the jewelry.

“I joined the business after I had two kids,” she said. “I didn’t want to be in the corporate section anymore. I helped raise the kids and run the business. I also design with him and run the business, because it gives him more free time to make the jewelry. I love to design and see the final product and how people love it.”