770-552-9235
900 Mansell Road Suite 24 Roswell, GA 30076
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AT JWO JEWELERS WE BELIEVE THAT OUR CUSTOMERS COME FIRST!
WE ARE YOUR LOCAL DIAMOND-GEMS & JEWELRY EXPERTS SINCE 1986.
About The Jeweler
Krist Hochburger
Krist Hochburger was born in 1975 in Milwaukee Wisconsin. At that time his father (Dirk) was in the jewelry business, so one could say he literally “grew up in the jewelry business”. Ultimately that made Krist a jewelry artist. In 1982 the family made their way to Georgia and his father (Dirk) started his own jewelry business (JWO Jewelers) in 1986, where Krist began his apprenticeship at the young age of 11 years old. Krist was very much the artistic child who enjoyed creating things with his hands, fine music, playing instruments and singing. He graduated from Sprayberry high school in 1993 and immediately went on to attend Stewart’s International School for Jewelers in Florida. Upon arrival back from Florida, he continued to work as a bench jeweler and craftsman for the family business. His love for music continued to grow, from 1997-1998 he attended Atlanta Institute of Music, studying jazz and classical music for guitar all while continuing to hone his skills as a jewelry craftsman and study of music. He left the family business from 2001 until 2003.
During this time he went to work for a high line jewelry design manufacturer, catering to clients of most all big box jewelry stores. This gave him the unique opportunity to work with many successful jewelry stores throughout North America. As he traveled from Tucson to Baltimore, Vegas to New York City, he continued to hone his skills in helping people achieve their jewelry objectives/dreams. Although the monetary compensation was very nice, he sensed there was something missing. He was in and out of the stores so quick, he wasn’t able to build the type of relationships with clients that are very common at JWO Jewelers today. He came back to the family business (JWO) in 2003 and was certainly welcomed with open arms by the family. In late 2004, there was a single job that would forever change his future of creating custom design jewelry, and become the jewelry artists with his sister Heidi.
In the past, Krist would hand carve waxes for rings, pendants, etc. This particular job called for hundreds of stones to be set in a particular fashion. Upon realizing that it would be borderline impossible to achieve this by hand, Krist purchased a cad cam machine to keep up with the custom design aspect. After purchasing the cad cam machine, he realized the custom design in a whole new light, completely different. An ornate piece can be achieved with just the click of a button, so this completely revolutionized what he thought was or was not a great design. Suddenly complex and ornate designs weren’t as exciting as before. So he learned how to showcase stones in a unique, one of a kind way, spending the last several years designing hundreds of pieces of jewelry for his clients. It is truly a great time to be alive with our technology advancing every day. Our capabilities are truly endless. He would love to design your next piece of jewelry. In 2006, Krist’s father (Dirk) retired and entrusted the family business to Krist. The founder Dirk is still involved behind the scenes and consults from time to time as needed.
About The Jewelry Consultant
Heidi Hochburger-Hattemer
Heidi was born in 1968 in Milwaukee Wisconsin. At this time her father (Dirk) was not in the jewelry business, but that would follow soon. As a child, she had a passion for horses and enjoyed riding English and attending as well as showing in many horse shows. Riding cross country, dressage, jumping, etc. If had to do with horses, she was there. She also enjoyed helping people and wondered if someday she would grow up to be a nurse. In 1982 her family made their way to Georgia and her father (Dirk) started his own jewelry business (JWO Jewelers) in 1986. As her father opened his newly found business, she was busy graduating from Lassiter High School. After graduating from high school she went on to go to Cosmetology school and graduated in 1987. She enjoyed working in the salon for a few years but was drawn to the family business.
From 1989 to 1991 she went to work for the family business and thoroughly enjoyed herself. Getting to work with diamonds, gemstones, designers’ as well as, dealing directly with clients was something she loved to do. While working at JWO Jewelers part time, she also pursued an education in microcomputers. Learning to write code in C+, basic, COBOL, dBASE and graduating with honors. This was both challenging and gratifying but realized she could not sit in front of a computer all day with no human interaction, this was not for her. This is why she became one of the jewelry artists at JWO Jewelers. In 1995 while still working with JWO Jewelers, her husband was transferred to Nashville, Tennessee. What an adventure it was, off she went with her husband and 2 small children in tow. Nashville was a wonderful experience. It was a beautiful area, the people were warm and welcoming and they settled in quite nicely. After staying home with the children for one year she decided to get back to work.
From 1996 to 1999 she worked for a paramedical company in sales and marketing and then on to management. In 1999 she and her family moved back to the Atlanta area and went back to work with the family business. She enjoys working with all her clients, whether it be selecting pieces of jewelry, repair, and restoration of pieces or her personal favorite, custom design. Each piece created tells a story of new and old, what a privilege to be a part of the process.
Contact Us To Learn More About JWO Custom Design Jewelry