NEW YORK — Nearly 200 of Steven Kretchmer’s peers gathered Tuesday night to celebrate the life of the man they called the “wizard” of the fine-jewelry industry.
Kretchmer, a metallurgist, alchemist, goldsmith and fine jeweler who lived and worked in Palenville, N.Y., died July 8 from injuries sustained after a motorcycle accident near his home. He was 53.
He started his namesake fine-jewelry business in 1992, using it as a conduit for his penchant for metals and alloys. Kretchmer is credited with inventing the tension setting, using pressure, not prongs, to hold a diamond or precious stone in place in a ring or link of a bracelet. He was also the inventor of Polarium, a trademarked magnetic alloy using platinum. For instance, a popular Polarium wedding band style is divided into two halves, leaving space for an inscription on the underside. When worn, the two halves have a seamless finish, just like a traditional wedding band.
Kretchmer was always working to invent new alloys and metallurgic techniques. He created both purple and blue 18-karat gold. Before his death, he was said to be making a new rose gold alloy called Flamingo Pink gold.
Mourners, many of whom came directly from the JA show, included David and Sybil Yurman, Robert Lee Morris, Kwiat designer Janice DeBell, Tiny Jewel Box owner Jim Rosenheim and Reinhold Jewelers owner Marie Helene Morrow.
“Steven Kretchmer was a force of nature and he had a brilliant mind,” said jewelry designer Michael Bondanza.
Morris said, “All his work with alloys shows that he has been immortalized. He surmounted all the annoying obstacles thrown to us and persevered. He has become a myth.”
“He was a step above everyone else,” said Morrow. “It’s a real loss to the industry; it’s a real loss to everyone.”
Kretchmer is survived by his wife, Alma; a step-daughter, Claudia, and his mother, Midge. The Steven Kretchmer Memorial Scholarship Fund for Metallurgy has been established at the Rhode Island School of Design, which is accepting donations in Kretchmer’s honor.