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March 5, 1999/17 Adar 5759, Vol. 51, No. 23
Local couple creates jewelry made with art and soul
MICHELLE ACKERMAN
Staff Writer
Entering Gauthier's, a Scottsdale jewelry store, is like stepping into a piece of jewelry itself.
The outside of the building is modern, with sharp angles and a minimalistic look, reminiscent of many of the rings Scott Gauthi‚r creates. Inside, collections are displayed in angular glass showcases, perched on rich-colored wooden blocks, scattered about the floor in a methodical pattern, with gem cases around the interior, and individual showcases, each built to highlight one piece, decorating the walls.
The store also can be likened to a museum - a place where a wide variety of unique pieces of art can be found all in one place. But with rich, warm colors covering the floor and walls, and the constant presence of the friendly, smiling young couple (the Gauthi‚rs), the feel is anything but that of a stuffy gallery.
Gauthi‚r's is owned by Scott and Naomi Gauthi‚r, who met while working at a jewelry store and both attending the University of Wisconsin at Madison. At that time, Naomi hadn't yet decided that her life's passion was the jewelry business, but Scott had.
At age 16, looking only for an after-school, part-time job, he had applied to work at a jewelry store in his hometown of Green Bay, Wis. His beginning wasn't glamorous - he dusted shelves and swept floors - but he didn't mind. He says he felt drawn to the world of jewelry. After moving to Madison for college, Scott made the transition into a job in jewelry sales.
Knowing that he eventually wanted to open his own business, Scott took courses in engineering, business and art before finally deciding to major in art history.
After toying with metal sculpture, Scott went into work one day and asked the store's designer to help him incorporate some of his ideas into a ring. Instead of helping him, the designer gave Scott a piece of wax and told him to try it on his own. Using an old butter knife as a tool, he did - and the first Gauthi‚r piece was made.
He started designing pieces for friends and family, and, as his pieces began to get noticed for their unique look, worked his way up to head designer at the store.
After graduating, Scott and Naomi realized they wanted a change of pace. They wanted to live in a modern, progressive city where people would accept contemporary jewelry, and they wanted someplace warm. So in September of 1990, the couple packed up a U-Haul, and with $3,600 and 43 pieces of jewelry, moved to Arizona.
Renting a space with less than 1,000 square feet on Marshall Way in the Scottsdale arts district, the couple built the interior of the store themselves, and set up their first boutique. For the first five years, they couldn't afford any other employees, so they worked day and night. Today, after almost nine years in business, they have 27 employees and have moved twice to larger locations, though always staying on Marshall Way. Their latest move has landed them at 4164 N. Marshall Way.
What sets Gauthi‚r apart from most jewelers is the fact that Scott himself designs each and every item in the store, and, for the most part, each design is produced only once. (If more than one customer wants a particular item, Scott will occasionally duplicate it.)
Creating four or five works per day keeps Scott busy. His inspiration? "The journey of creating art." He might first design the piece in wax, he says, but by the time it is finished, it has often changed.
"The design really just happens along the way."
He begins with a stone, creating a design around it, allowing it to "come to life."
"Basically, I'm always just striving to do something I haven't done before," he says. "My inspiration is really to be happy at the end of every day."
To engage customers in the process, and to allow Scott to feel in touch with the clients, the Gauthi‚rs installed a large glass partition in the rear wall, which offers the customers a full view into the workshop - and allows Scott to see who the clients are and interact with them, while Naomi handles the sales, advertising and bookkeeping.
As a way of giving back to the community, to the people who "allow us to do what we want to do," the Gauthi‚rs give not only money, but a good amount of their time, to local charities and organizations, including many local Jewish organizations.
Gauthi‚r's has won numerous design awards - eight from the Arizona Jewelers Association between 1992 and 1997, including the association's People's Choice award in 1993; a national design award in a contest sponsored by the American Pearl Company in 1995; and two Spectrum Awards from the American Gem Trade Association in 1995. Customers from all over the world now buy pieces by Gauthi‚r.
Still, even though his pieces now enjoy international fame and are all custom-designed, they are still surprisingly affordable, starting at $400. The price, says Scott, really depends on the stones used.
Scott says he and his wife agree on a general principle: "Good design doesn't have to be very expensive. Good design is good design."
Pouring his heart and soul into every piece can be tough, says Scott, admitting that it is sometimes hard to part with his creations.
"(But) it's a big compliment when somebody comes in and picks something out that you've thought up and you've handmade. ... (That's) a really big deal to me. I get as much pleasure out of that as I would sitting and looking at the piece."
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