By Fernanda Durmer · Universal Deco · LoHi, Denver
I grew up making art before I had the language to explain why I needed to. As a child who had just immigrated from Costa Rica, I couldn't always find the words but I could always find the drawing. Creativity was how I made sense of a new place, a new culture, a new self. It's still how I do it. And it's at the heart of every custom piece I create at Universal Deco.
When someone asks me to design something just for them, that's not a transaction. It's a conversation between two people about what matters most.
Why custom jewelry is different
There is a moment that happens in a consultation that I love, when someone stops describing what they want and starts describing what they feel. That's where the real design begins.
Custom jewelry isn't about choosing from a case. It's about creating something the world has never seen, something that holds memory, meaning, and beauty in equal measure. The result isn't just a piece of jewelry. It becomes a personal artifact, a future heirloom you commission for this chapter of your life.
People come to me for many reasons:
- Engagement rings that feel unlike anything in a showroom
- Inherited jewelry redesigned into something wearable today
- Milestone pieces for anniversaries, births, and transformations
- Memorial jewelry that honors someone deeply loved
- Statement work rooted in identity, symbolism, and culture
- Gifts made with real intention, not just a price tag
Whatever brings you here, I want to hear it.
The Universal Deco custom process
Every custom collaboration begins the same way: with a story. Sometimes clients arrive with sketches and references. Sometimes they arrive with a feeling and a few words they can't stop thinking about. Both are enough. I've learned to work from both.
Story gathering
We sit together in the studio at 1600 Boulder Street, or virtually, and I listen. We talk about your ideas, your style, your symbols, your budget, and how you want the piece to feel when you wear it.
Stone selection
I source diamonds, sapphires, and distinctive one-of-a-kind stones for those who want something less traditional. Browse our misfit diamonds and misfit sapphires for a sense of what's possible.
Development and refinement
Sketches, wax carvings, and collaborative refinement. This is where the concept takes shape in my hands, literally. I carve by hand. Every piece starts as something you can hold.
Handcrafted in gold
Your piece is made with traditional methods and real craftsmanship. Not rushed. Not outsourced. Each Universal Deco piece is handmade to order. Please allow 8 to 10 weeks for production.
Your piece and its legacy
You leave with something tangible and something emotional. A piece made for this chapter of your life, built to outlast it.
More than an accessory: jewelry as lived art
I often say that jewelry can hold energy. A ring can mark resilience after a hard year. A pendant can carry a loved one forward. A redesigned heirloom can bridge a grandmother's hands and a granddaughter's wrist. An engagement ring can say something about a relationship that no showroom piece ever could.
My work is both personal and universal, an offering of self-expression, craft, and connection.
This is why I love custom work. It lets jewelry become art you live in.
Every piece I make is crafted using 100% recycled gold, because sustainability isn't separate from craft, it's part of it. If you have a piece that needs a second life rather than a new creation, our jewelry repair and restoration service brings the same care and intention to your existing heirlooms.
Why work with a local Denver jewelry designer?
Choosing a local maker means you can look me in the eye. You can touch the stones. You can hold the wax carving before it becomes gold. You're not sending money into the void of the internet. You're working directly with the person whose hands will make your piece, from first sketch to final polish.
It also means supporting independent craft in Denver. Universal Deco is WOC-owned, proudly rooted in LoHi, and deeply invested in this community. When you commission a piece here, you're part of something larger than a purchase. Take a look at the independent designers we carry to see the broader world of artisanship we champion.
Visit us in LoHi, Denver
Our studio and boutique is at 1600 Boulder Street in Denver's LoHi neighborhood, open Wednesday through Saturday from 12 to 7pm. It's a warm, artful space filled with handcrafted fine jewelry from independent designers around the world, alongside my own Universal Deco collections.
Whether you're dreaming of an engagement ring, reimagining a family heirloom, or creating something entirely your own, I'd be honored to help bring it to life. If you'd like a taste of the hands-on process before committing to a full custom piece, our ring carving workshops in wax are a beautiful place to start.
The most meaningful jewelry rarely starts in a display case. It starts with a story.
If you're ready to begin, schedule a custom design consultation or stop by the studio. I can't wait to hear yours.
