THE JEWELER :
If you asked Cindy Crounse how she came to be a jewelry designer, she’d tell you that she made a decision in college not to be so practical and, instead, to do what she loved. She never looked back.

After graduating from the University at Albany with a major in Studio Art and a concentration in jewelry metalwork, she apprenticed two years with a manufacturing jeweler, then joined a new custom jeweler in the area where she stayed 15 years, before establishing Refined Designs in 1992. Over 30 years in this field has included advanced courses from wax carving to customer service, and gem setting to gemology, all over the country.

She is most proud of her Graduate Gemologist degree, the highest award bestowed by the Gemological Institute of America, respected internationally as the jewelry industry’s premier educational organization and developer of the international diamond grading system. As a result, she is highly qualified in Diamonds and Colored Gems and their grading, and in fact, Refined Designs has its own gem lab and the knowledge to accurately identify gemstones for its customers.

Also, the non-profit organization Jewelers of America created the first program of its kind to establish a national standard for bench jewelers. Cindy completed a proctored 18-hour bench test and a 2-hour written test and was awarded the title JA Certified Senior Bench Jeweler, one of only TWO in New York State as of 2010.

OUR OFFICIAL GREETERS:
Cindy’s able assistants are pictured here. Maddy, now joined by her new cohort Alex, are Norwich Terriers who are always eager to go to work. Their favorite thing is food (of any kind, including spinach, parsnips … and the occasional legal correspondence) but a VERY close second is attention from customers, and kids just make their day!